They are fleeing the terrible war in Ukraine and are looking for protection and peace in Upper Austria: as of Tuesday alone, around 1,300 Ukraine refugees were accommodated in emergency shelters in the country, around 200 of them in the three Innviertler emergency shelters in Braunau, Ried and Engelhartszell. This does not include those refugees who have found private accommodation or who have found accommodation with the help of family members, friends and acquaintances who live here.
The organization of the emergency shelters was organized in close coordination between the state and the Red Cross. It is difficult to forecast how many refugees are expected, according to the office of VP Social Affairs Councilor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer. “In any case, it can be assumed that the figures for 2015/16 can be exceeded,” it says. While the majority of Ukrainian refugees initially stated that they wanted to continue their journey, it has recently been observed that more and more of them also want to stay in Upper Austria. The biggest challenge at the moment is to distribute the Ukrainian women and children from the emergency shelters to permanent quarters. Anyone who can provide quarters should call 0732/7720 16200.
integrate into the labor market
If the acts of war in Ukraine continue, after they have settled in and come to terms with what they have experienced, opportunities will be needed to integrate the refugees into society and the labor market so that they can support themselves, according to the office of Provincial Councilor Hattmannsdorfer. For this purpose, German courses and competence checks are currently being prepared together with the AMS.
In the emergency shelters, the families with children come to rest after days of fleeing, they are very exhausted and are cared for around the clock by the Red Cross, says Herbert Markler, Red Cross district head in Braunau. The team is supported by volunteer interpreters.
What is the best way to help the refugees and the Red Cross? “Donations of goods are not accepted by the Red Cross, we don’t have the logistics for that. Anyone who wants to support us can do so best with a monetary donation,” says Christian Dobler-Strehle, Red Cross manager in Ried.
Red Cross: Donations to Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich, reference “Ukraine”, AT83 3400 0002 0011 3654, SWIFT: RZ00AT2L
Source: Nachrichten
