It is unusually warm on this October day in western Ukraine. Vladislav Dalipagich wears a blue Freudenberg polo shirt, his jacket removed at some point during his seven-hour journey. The sales engineer from Kyiv is the only group employee on the ground in Ukraine. Today, he is not on his way to meet a customer. He has a different assignment. Dalipagich is visiting a container village for refugees near Lviv, built and maintained with funds from Freudenberg. The company, its employees and its shareholders have donated 3.8 million euros since shortly after the start of the war.
A peaceful rural landscape far from the horrors of war: this container village is one of three and is currently home to 116 refugees. The ten containers in the background of the photo were financed by Freudenberg with donations from employees and shareholders. (Photos: Ukrainian Friends Foundation)
“After providing the immediate aid which was so important right at the start of the war, we are now focusing more heavily on organizations dedicated to the long-term support and integration of refugees,” says Esther Loidl, CHRO of the Freudenberg Group and chair of the committee which decides how donations should be distributed. About 2 million euros have already been disbursed to a full 30 organizations in Ukraine and other European countries for use in specific ways. One of these is the Ukrainian Friends Foundation, which builds container villages.
“Freudenberg Square 3” is located at the end of a cul-de-sac in a rural area and consists of ten container houses. The company donated 100,000 euros for its construction, and another 55,000 euros are available for maintenance until next summer. Up to four people can live in a container, with preference given to families with children. Each container is connected to the sewer network and contains a small kitchen and dining table, in addition to four beds. The heating system keeps the temperature comfortable indoors even when it's below freezing outside.
The construction took three months to complete. In the end, only the windows were still missing. These are in short supply throughout Ukraine, says Stanislav Lutskovych, founder of the Ukrainian Friends Foundation. Lutskovych is a well-known Ukrainian businessperson, who has become an internationally recognized social entrepreneur during the war. According to him, it's Russia's eight month bombing campaign that is to blame for the critical shortage of windows. According to information from the UN, roughly 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled to other parts of the country, with the majority arriving in the west from the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, which have seen heavy fighting. 3.2 million others have taken refuge in other countries.
Vladislav Dalipagich (second from right) is a sales engineer for Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Ukraine. On behalf of the Freudenberg Donation Committee, he traveled to Lviv to take a look at the container village – and he was impressed by the organization’s level of commitment. From left to right: Ivan Skytyba, project coordinator with a refugee, Mykola Kit, owner of the land where the container village stands, which he made available free of charge, and Stanislav Lutskovych, founder and director of the Ukrainian Friends Foundation.
That's why we want to support projects that give them real prospects. This includes language lessons as well as psychological and social support.
Inna Brovchenko, manager of strategic projects at Freudenberg and member of the Donation Committee
Freudenberg wants to assist these refugees as well. “My fellow Ukrainians had their lives of freedom and safety brutally torn away from them overnight in February,” says Inna Brovchenko, manager of strategic projects at Freudenberg and member of the Donation Committee. "That's why we want to support projects that give them real prospects. This includes language lessons as well as psychological and social support.”
Insight into interior of containers
The video provide an impression of the container interior – it has everything you need to live in safety. (Source: Ukrainian Friends Foundation)
Dalipagich has finished his inspection of the container village and gets into a conversation with a family from Energodar in southeastern Ukraine. They tell him that they spent the first months after fleeing their homes in a large sports arena in Lviv. Every night, they rolled out their mats and sleeping bags on the floor of the arena together with many other refugees. There is no question that the container is cramped compared to their home – but they have regained their safety and their human dignity, and that is what matters most.
Find out more about the work of the Ukrainian Friends Foundation here:
Fundraising to help Ukraine - Support Ukraine | LEO STATES UKRAINE
Dalipagich speaking with the residents of the container village.