– Ukraine has enough winter clothes, says senior adviser Torben Bjørke-Henriksen in the Red Cross. He points out that Ukrainian packages of clothes became piles of rubbish in neighboring countries last winter, as there was no receiving apparatus that could handle and distribute this. After the hostilities in the country became more intense in October, Norwegians’ willingness to give has picked up. Not least because many will freeze when parts of the power grid are taken over by the Russians. Bjørke-Henriksen believes that Norwegians who are happy to give should rather give money to the established organizations such as the Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council. – Then help will arrive, he says. Can send for free Since April this year, many people have sent parcels to Ukraine via Norway Post, which allows people to send this for free. – We are now up to 170 tonnes of relief shipments in total, explains executive director Hans-Øyvind Ryen. On Posten Norge’s website, it is specified that clothing cannot be sent, apart from woolen underwear and thermal underwear. The aid organization “Help Ukraine Center”, which runs an aid operation from Poland, writes on its website: – “No more clothes please”. Trucks with clothes will not be unloaded, because we have nowhere to store them, says the organization, which accepts humanitarian aid and drives it into Ukraine. “No more clothes, please,” writes the Help Ukraine Center on its website. Photo: Screenshot Need sleeping bags and generators The Ukrainian association in Norway is not as categorical that people should not send clothes, and they bring gifts from Norwegians whom they drive to Ukraine weekly. – Most important now are sleeping bags, generators and “power banks”, says Natalia Ravn-Christensen in the Ukrainian Association. The association also accepts money and buys in what people in Ukraine need now. The association encourages people to give, among other things: Medicine (Ibux, Paracet) Woolen/fleece clothing Foot and hand warmers Batteries Flashlight Canned food Must survive the winter That there is a need for help and that many people want to help, confirms the chairman of the Ukrainian association in Agder Olena Vorontsova . She is grateful for the help from Posten and says that she uses the service herself. – People in the west of the country have no electricity at all. In Kyiv, they have electricity for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Many also do not have access to water, she says. – What do you think it will be like to celebrate Christmas in Ukraine? – They probably won’t celebrate Christmas that much. The most important thing for the children is that the parents do the best they can. The most important goal is to survive the winter. Olena Vorontsova says that many people contact her because they want to send parcels to Ukraine. Photo: Anna Rut Tørressen / news Sending more packages Posten has usually sent one truckload of goods a week, but it hasn’t been enough lately. In order to get all the parcels out, they have sent three lorries a week. The executive director thinks it is great to see the great effort being made and is happy to be part of the effort. The parcels are transported to Poland where they are handed over to the Ukrainian postal service. This collaboration has so far gone painlessly. Both addressed and unaddressed packages can be sent free of charge. The last truck before Christmas leaves on Friday this week. Posten will also offer the free service after Christmas. This package of thermal underwear (a special underwear that eliminates heat loss and removes moisture from the body) was recently sent to Ukraine. Photo: Private
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Ukraine needs help – but not warm clothes – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
