“The Book and the People” – A Personal Review of a Year of “Land Abandoned”.
In the meantime, a year has passed since the start of the war in Ukraine. A year of immeasurable suffering for the people of the country. And for those who today have found their temporary home somewhere in Europe – in the hope that family members left behind will survive and that the cruel war will finally come to an end.
For me, things have changed since I participated in Menschenfreude e.V.’s first humanitarian aid campaign for Ukraine in March 2022. I developed a sense of the multi-faceted challenges refugees face. And I have developed a feeling for what it means for non-German speakers to find their way through the German bureaucratic jungle.
“Living with the war” – Again Ukraine transport with 2 tons of medical material and other humanitarian goods
We are on the road again. For me it’s the second time within a few weeks. Last time I was at the Ukrainian border on December 17, 2022 to bring some generators through the snow to some people waiting desperately, freezing in the dark after the Ukrainian electricity infrastructure was significantly damaged.
Clinics, retirement homes, public facilities: Here are the generators arrived – an overview & a thank you video
Feedback after our aid transport in December 2022: Dr. Matthias Straub had set off for Menschenfreude e.V. to Ukraine. A total of 22 emergency generators – financed by donations – were handed over. Now the first acknowledgements of receipt have reached us – connected with personal words, pictures and huge gratitude.
Freezing in the dark. Ukraine Impressionen, 14. bis 20. Dezember 2022
Freezing in the dark, a concern for many people in the Ukraine nowadays. We want to do something about this, we want to deliver power generators which are hard to get in the Ukraine.…On December 14 I arrived in Bonn with 5 generators from the Netherlands. Given the winter weather I decided to leave on December 15 with a traget to arrive December 17. I picked up 17 more generators from Mönchengladbach and winter clothes from the Tabea warehouse in Swisstal donated from Menschenfreude people and then left. I intended to stay overnight at Nowy Tomysil in Poland.
Merry Christmas wishes the Menschenfreude e.V. Team
With these friendly faces and a Christmas greeting, we at Menschenfreude e.V. would like to ring in the reflective season. All the people in the pictures have been involved in our projects in 2022, bringing joy to people in their own unique way. A heartfelt thank you for this from all of us ! In good tradition, our human joy theologian Dr. Ulf Beiderbeck has recorded his thoughts on the year for all of us – many thanks for that too !
“Our friends are holding out at 2°C. In the room.” – Electricity generators for people in Ukraine
From mid-December, volunteers from Menschenfreude e.V. will once again start a relief transport to Ukraine. In view of the impending winter, a total of twelve power generators are on board this time. The contact person is Dr. Matthias Straub, who, together with his wife Elka, has already accompanied previous relief transports of Menschenfreude e.V. and carried them out himself. Initially, the generators are intended for hospitals. Smaller equipment for schools and other institutions will also be brought into the country as part of further shipments. We therefore ask you once again for donations – and thank you at the same time for your previous support!
Donate, Follow, Collaborate – Help us bring joy to people!
Our non-profit association Menschenfreude e.V. is growing. We are very happy about it. About the many big and small joys we were allowed to give to people near and far in the past years. Projects in Nepal, Africa, countries in Europe, regionally in North Rhine-Westphalia, school projects and collection campaigns – our volunteers are constantly on the job and enthusiastically involved. The best way to get an overview of our projects is to stop by our blog or Instagram.