How did you come to participate in the first relief effort?
I got to know our association during the flood disaster. Together with my wife we had taken over some relief transports. We also wanted to stay informed about other plans via the association’s WhatsApp group. On February 24, 2022, the attack on Ukraine began.
The following Sunday we attended a very impressive Pulse of Europe event at Roncalliplatz in Cologne. Shortly thereafter, we noticed our association’s appeal for donations. It quickly became clear that we wanted to participate somehow. Initially, we thought of taking on individual trips to pick up supplies.
The decision to participate in the trip was made on March 5 at the big collection event in Swisttal. The enormous willingness to donate, the great trust of the donors in the helpers and the expectation that each additional driver can probably provide for an alleviation of the need on site, motivated us to go along.
What made you decide to write this book?
The relief operation in the Polish refugee camps and on the Ukrainian border was extremely moving and formative in many ways. Upon our return, we felt physically and mentally exhausted. I realized that I had to go somewhere with my thoughts. At the same time, there were many people who wanted to know more about our experience. So I started to write down my “borderline experiences” for myself first.
I read a few pages to my parents, and they encouraged me to keep writing. This happened surprisingly fast, and again and again I had the feeling that my thoughts interested many people, e.g. also at the event in Godesberg, when Jürgen Perteck reported about the trip. And so in the end it turned into a little book.
My goal is to hold readings with the book – e.g. in bookstores – and to raise funds for the association with the purpose “Ukraine”. The profit from the book sales will also be donated in full to the association. Perhaps this will also raise the profile of our club somewhat.
Info about the book
- We have linked a foretaste here: the preface in “Verlassenes Land” by Knuth Martens.
- The book is online and available in all bookstores at the price of 13,50€. (ISBN 978-9-403-66078-3)
- Knuth Martens, Kathrin Anderseck or Jürgen Perteck will gladly accept larger orders directly and take care of the processing: contact by email.
Info about Ukraine-Help from Menschenfreude e.V.
- Read more: Blog post about the aid transport to the Polish-Ukrainian border that resulted in the book.
- Read more: Blog post on the preparations for the transport.
- The Instagram profile of Yana (11) from Kiev, who has become one of the secret protagonists in our Ukraine projects and reports on her escape for the book: Yana’s profile.
- Read more: Blog post: Call for donations for Ukraine.
- Follow our promotions on Instagram and Facebook.
- You can also donate via Paypal (www.paypal.me/menschenfreude), keyword: Ukraine. Click on the link or donate button below this post.
