Support for Ukraine
Overview of the situation:
Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has become the scene of the world’s largest displacement crisis. Around a third of the Ukrainian population has been displaced in the meantime. It is estimated that around 3.7 million people are currently displaced within the country, while more than 6.3 million people from Ukraine have found refuge abroad. The situation is complex, as many people keep returning to Ukraine when their home regions are reported as safe – there are so-called “shuttle movements”.
A total of 17.6 million people in Ukraine need protection and humanitarian support. However, the massive devastation and destruction of civilian infrastructure is making it difficult to access basic necessities such as food, water and medicine. The delivery of life-saving aid is proving difficult, as there is no safe access for humanitarian aid in the embattled areas. Nevertheless, Siemens Caring Hands e.V. and its partner organisations are doing everything they can to reach those most affected and provide them with life-saving support.
How we support.
We have received numerous donations to implement more than 60 individual projects in Ukraine and neighbouring countries since the Russian invasion. In doing so, we prioritise strengthening and supporting various sectors and social groups. So far, we have focussed primarily on projects for the direct supply of essential goods, the provision of medical equipment, support for children and young people and the reconstruction of critical infrastructure.
Further measures are being planned and implemented.
Our previous projects
Basic goods
Together with ShelterBox Germany e.V., we have equipped shelters in Ukraine with humanitarian aid supplies, basic medical care and heat generators.
Together with the German Firefighters’ Association, we were able to support those affected by the collapse of the dam in southern Ukraine with important relief supplies. We also provided the association’s rescue teams with the necessary equipment and vehicles.
Through our “Relief Fund for Ukraine”, we have been able to support many food banks and food bank guests during the ongoing crisis.
This donation has so far enabled 53 food banks across Germany to support the implementation of a wide range of projects that have not only helped the refugees from Ukraine, but have also strengthened and enriched the food banks themselves. 19 projects have already been successfully implemented or completed, and 34 more will be realised in the coming months.
Together with AfB Switzerland, we were able to provide Ukrainian refugees with laptops, tablets and mobile phones (including SIM cards) to enable them to communicate with their families.
Together with Caritas Bulgaria, we have provided food, hygiene products and other everyday necessities to support people who have recently fled.
In close cooperation with the Red Cross Bulgaria, we support refugees in the form of donations in kind and financial aid.
Together with Libereco, we are improving Ukraine’s winter resilience by installing windows from Switzerland and the surrounding area in damaged houses.
With the Mother for Ukraine Association, we support Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria with medicine, food and clothing and provide Ukrainian children with educational programmes and toys.
Together with our partner Asociatia Kastel, we provide food and hygiene products in Romania and support refugees with language courses.
Together with Caritas Ukraine, we are supporting the Ukrainian population with far-reaching measures:
- Provision of a stable food and water supply
- Promotion of sanitation and hygiene measures
- Securing (emergency) accommodation
- Provision of goods for daily needs
- Education
- Transport facilities
Through our partner CARE Austria, we are providing emergency aid and supporting affected Ukrainians with emergency accommodation, food, drinking water, hygiene products, sleeping bags and psychosocial support.
In close cooperation with the Hungarian Red Cross, we are providing extensive humanitarian aid for those affected in Ukraine and near the border with Hungary. The main focus is on providing food, hygiene products, medical supplies and psychosocial support.
Together with our partner People in Need, we support humanitarian aid measures for affected families:
- In the Zakarpatia region (Ukraine): Provision of food, beds, mattresses, sheets and hygiene products
- In Slovakia: Psychological and social support for refugees to facilitate their integration into Slovakian society
Health
Together with UNICEF Ukraine, we donated important humanitarian and medical supplies to Ukraine. These are primarily:
- Providing children and caregivers with the necessary medical care through emergency medical services, essential medicines, health supplies and related equipment
- Supporting the resumption of health services in local health facilities, including primary health care in communities and through mobile teams
By purchasing ambulance vehicles, we are supporting the Bureau of Good Initiatives in the evacuation and transport of the wounded from the areas near the front.
With our partner Tabletochki, we have procured hard-to-find medicines and medical products for children with cancer.
Siemens Caring Hands e.V. was able to support the hospital in Lviv with a donation in kind of an ultrasound machine.
Donation in kind and installation of an X-ray machine to the Yavoriv hospital, as well as training on the machine with Siemens Healthineers.
Financial support for the procurement of urgently needed goods for the care of the wounded.
Financial support for the procurement of urgently needed goods for supplies in eastern Ukraine.
Financial support of the municipal hospital in Odessa for the procurement of the most urgently needed goods for the care of victims from the war.
Procurement and delivery of two X-ray machines to the Regional Hospital No. 4 in Dniprov Regional Rada, as well as training on the equipment together with Siemens Healthineers.
Purchase and delivery of an ultrasound machine to the municipal hospital in Krywyj Rih, as well as subsequent training on the equipment together with Siemens Healthineers.
Beschaffung und Lieferung eines Röntgengerätes an das regionale onkologische Zentrum Charkiv, sowie mit Schulungen am Gerät zusammen mit den Siemens Healthineers.
Gemeinsam mit Ärzte der Welt ermöglichen wir eine mobile medizinische Versorgung für Geflüchtete in Berlin.
Zusammen mit der Siemens Stiftung setzten wir einen psychosozialen Beratungsdienst für Kinder und Jugendliche auf Chatplattformen in ukrainischer Sprache auf:
Mehr als 70 ukrainisch- und russischsprachige, ausgebildete Psycholog:innen und Psychotherapeut:innen arbeiten für Krisenchat und bieten Kindern und jungen Menschen bis 25 Jahre via WhatsApp, Telegram und SMS Beratungsangebote an. Durch den digitalen Zugang ist das Angebot für Menschen auf der Flucht ortsunabhängig erreichbar und wird auch von jungen Menschen, die noch in der Ukraine sind, wahrgenommen. Die Nachfrage ist weiterhin auf einem sehr hohen Niveau.
Provision of antigen tests from Siemens Healthineers for reception centres in Germany to ensure safe handling in times of Covid-19.
Provision of over EUR 1 million to the German Red Cross for humanitarian emergency aid for refugees
The emergency aid measures currently focus on first aid and wound care, distribution of relief supplies & emergency provisions for refugees/displaced persons and cash aid. In addition, the Red Cross provides support during evacuation, also focussing on the evacuation of children and people with disabilities.
Together with the German Red Cross Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, we support the care of people with mental health and addiction-related problems. People who have had to leave their homeland – currently mainly Ukrainians – are helped in inpatient and day-care centres.
Together with the Ernst Prost Foundation, we were able to deliver medical and humanitarian goods to Ukraine.
In close co-operation with Freundeskreis Wischgorod e.V., we were able to provide medicines and other medical supplies for the hospital in Wischgorod.
With our partner UNICEF Ukraine, we provide children and parents with the necessary medical services and support them in emergencies with mobile clinics.
Together with the Czech Red Cross and Siemens Healthineers, we were able to provide important medical equipment for the care of Ukrainian refugees.
Education
Together with our partner Asociatia Kastel, we provide educational programmes for children and young people in Romania. Food and hygiene products are also donated and refugees are offered language courses.
Together with Eine Welt e.V., we are supporting 30 children and young people from the western Ukrainian city of Luzk. Together with the local Siemens Works Council and Siemens Caring Hands e.V., a holiday camp near Chemnitz was made possible and organised. During a two-week stay in the Ore Mountains, the children can carry out STEM experiments at the Siemens plant in Leipzig and explore the surrounding area.
With the support of the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts, we are financing a guest study programme for 50 Ukrainian students to continue their education in Munich.
Together with our partner Angerscheune e.V., we offer Ukrainian refugees opportunities to overcome trauma through musical training and leisure programmes.
Together with the Drachensee Foundation, we support the self-determination and participation of people with disabilities. People with disabilities and their families are helped to flee from Ukraine with education and work programmes and are housed in barrier-free accommodation.
Together with Kikus e.V., we offer language courses for Ukrainian children via a web-based online solution.
With the Eppstein-Flomersheim primary school support group, we offer Ukrainian pupils support courses in language and media skills, as well as in the natural sciences.
Together with our partner ReDI School, we offer various courses (coding, mentoring, etc.) for Ukrainian refugees.
With the Mareena organisation, we promote various activities in Slovakia to support the immediate and long-term integration of refugees from Ukraine:
- Free Slovak courses for adults and students
- Social support
- Seminars, community events and more
Housing and Care
In close co-operation with the Caritas Children’s Village Irschenberg, we support Ukrainian children in all-day care.
Together with the Lions Club organisation, we are providing housing equipment for eleven families from Ukraine.
With Moabit hilft e.V., we are committed to the protection of refugees and persecuted people and offer them a humanitarian contact point in Berlin.
Together with Hellabrunn Zoo, we house animals from Ukrainian zoos and give them a peaceful home in Munich.
Together with Tierpark Berlin, we ensured that endangered animals from Ukrainian zoos were transferred to safe environments in Berlin.
Together with our partner Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, we provide emergency accommodation, food and drinking water for refugees via local partners in neighbouring countries.
To create important living space for Ukrainian refugees, Siemens has opened a centre for refugees from Ukraine on the premises of its company headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. Various accommodations for 160 people have been set up on around 2,600 square metres – ranging from family rooms and childcare to sanitary facilities. The remodelling and renovation was financed by Siemens Caring Hands e.V.
Further information can be found here.
Together with our partner Fundacja Ocalenie, we support people on the Ukrainian-Polish border in the following areas:
- Purchase of goods to supply refugees
- Provision of long-term and temporary accommodation for refugees
- Support with integration, social and legal issues and psychological counselling
- Provision of Polish language courses for adults and children
Together with Polska Akcja Humanitarna, we support refugees in the Polish border region with Ukraine with educational opportunities and childcare services.
Together with our partner Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria, we support the reception, accommodation and care of Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria.
In close cooperation with the Za Dobroto Foundation, we provide direct aid for refugees and support social children’s centres for the integration of Ukrainian children in Bulgaria.
Together with the Austrian Red Cross, we provide important emergency aid in the form of relief supplies, emergency shelters and psychological support for the local population and in neighbouring countries.
We support the Asociatia Kasper Daniela, which provides food, basic equipment and medical care for Ukrainian refugees in Romania in its accommodation centres.
In close cooperation with our partner SOS Satele Copiilor Romania Association, we place Ukrainian refugees in SOS Family Villages accommodation in Romania and provide them with food, hygiene products, psychological support and other everyday necessities.
We support Hungarian Interchurch Aid in providing accommodation and care for internally displaced persons in Ukraine and refugees in Hungary.
Activities in Ukraine:
- Securing the food supply
- Provision of household/non-food items
- Provision of water, sanitary facilities and hygiene products
Activities in Hungary:
- Accommodation of refugees in Debrecen, Miskolc and Budapest
- Provision of food and hygiene products
In close cooperation with the Centre for Philanthropy, we support refugees from Ukraine on site in Slovakia:
Milan Dubec Foundation:
- Short-term and long-term accommodation (with a capacity of more than 200 beds)
- Provision of food, hygiene products and everyday necessities
Carpathian Foundation:
- Humanitarian aid in Ukraine
- Provision of relief supplies for Kiev
We support the Federal Foreign Office’s “Moldova Airlift” project, which evacuates refugees from dangerous regions between Moldova and Germany.
In collaboration with the organisation Polskie Centrum Pomocy Międzynarodowej, we support humanitarian aid for refugees in the Ukrainian border region.
- Evacuation of civilians from eastern Ukraine
- Provision of medical and humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees
- Support for refugees in Poland through financial aid and employment programmes
In Ukraine and neighbouring countries, we support the MAD Foundation with important transports of relief supplies and evacuations.
- Supporting families in Ukraine so that they can safely reach their relatives and their new homes in Poland and Europe
- Relieving the burden on refugee camps
- Relocating vulnerable groups and individuals away from the border and from refugee camps to safe accommodation