My head is spinning, like a carousel, around the Ukraine war. It is depressing. It is impossible to visualize an outcome that is helpful for anybody. Not that I know of any war that was beneficial for anyone.
We feel the urge to help. The editors have received offers from members of the XUNICEF community to volunteer with a UNICEF office at a border crossing or in the neighbouring countries.
So far, the flow of Ukrainian refugees – mostly women and children - appears to be managed reasonably well, circumstances permitting, by the authorities of the receiving countries and the numerous aid agencies. The border countries are prosperous, according to world standards. Governments have put aside hundreds of millions of Euro in a whiff.
Refugees are moved fairly swiftly towards their planned or possible place of stay. Our - very small - home town, on the far western side of Germany, has already received several dozens of refugee mothers and children from the Ukraine, in addition to the asylum seekers from Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan or Nigeria. There are more every day. More will be coming.
Crossing the border was not the main problem. Ukrainians do not need a visa, and their passport serves as a ticket on our public transport. So far, they stay with relatives or in some vacant holiday flat at least for a while. The main challenges are still ahead. They have to do with getting children into school and kindergartens, learning their way around bureaucracy and officialdom, applying for social assistance, learning the basics of language, and settle down at least for a while. There are local volunteer organizations, who make it happen. It would not work without them. Everything is being done to avoid the impression of two classes of refugees. At present, the enthusiasm of the local people is great, but it will be a long haul and things will become difficult.
For once, we are asked to help as citizens, not as UNICEF officials calling upon the leaders of the world. Not everyone may become neighbour to a refugee, and not everyone is good at organising real practical help. But everywhere are countless possibilities to break down barriers, to cross cultural divides, and to extend a hand. World peace is not going to come about by the mercy of country leaders, some of whom are decidedly gaga, but by all of us. We all can help to create peace, wherever we are.
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More Insights from Outside the Bubble
Detlef can be contacted via detlefpalm55@gmail.com .
Great work by so many. Very sobering article in the Financial Times that suggests that the fact that Ukraine is still holding out, will actually now drive Putin to take the next step to subjugate the brave people of that country by the use of tactical nukes or large scale chemical/biological attacks -- all of this potentially leading to greater conflict between NATO and Russia. The article posits that Ukraine is just the latest in a string of provocations by Putin to upturn the international order and in effect constitutes the beginning of WW III. What are the other options before general hostilities? Will this be fought under the nuclear threshold? What is the end game for Putin? How od we prevent sliding into war and yet counter Putin's aggression?
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