Emergency power for schools: Generators delivered to Verkhniodniprovsk

The catastrophic energy situation in Ukraine has now also affected Bocholt's solidarity partner city. The city of Bocholt and the association "Helfende Hände St. Josef Bocholt" have therefore now provided the Ukrainian city of Verkhniodniprovsk with technical assistance in the form of powerful 40 kW and 16 kW generators and 125 electric heaters as part of the emergency aid programme. The delivery will arrive in Ukraine this coming weekend.

The background to this was an urgent request from Mayor Gennadii Lebid to Bocholt's Mayor Christian Mangen. In Verkhniodniprovsk, the aim was to ensure the operation of schools, heating systems and central contact points for the population despite massive power outages.

The power supply in Verkhniodniprovsk is currently extremely critical as a result of ongoing attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. There are long and unpredictable outages lasting 10 to 16 hours, while at the same time winter temperatures, which are well below freezing even during the day, are putting a strain on everyday life. "Without a reliable emergency power supply, heating systems cannot be operated stably and school canteens cannot be used," according to Mayor Lebid, "a risk to health, education and social stability."

Scope of support: three large generators plus electric heaters

Generators and heaters were procured by the city of Bocholt and the association "Helfende Hände St. Josef Bocholt e.V." to set up three emergency bases as central contact points in two schools and a community centre. The appliances were in stock in the neighbouring town of Rhede and were transported to Ukraine as part of a convoy on 27 January 2026.

The city of Verkhniodniprovsk has promised targeted, responsible and transparent utilisation: The generators will be assigned to firmly defined objects, accounted for and used exclusively for educational institutions and public safety. This is intended to ensure that schools remain heated even during power cuts, that meals can be provided for children and that the heating points set up - especially for the elderly, families with children and internally displaced persons - function reliably.