2024-01-22 07:39:16

Relief Organization International welcomes ambassadors to aid projects near the front lines

Vienna / Nikopol (OTS) – It was a risky but essential mission that the Austrian ambassador to Ukraine, Arad Benkö, completed on Wednesday, January 17th: at the head of a delegation, he visited projects of the Austrian organization Hilfewerk International in the district Nikopol in the south of Ukraine, a few kilometers as the crow flies from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant – and therefore directly on the front. Ambassador Benkö was received by the emergency relief coordinator of the International Relief Organization, Heinz Wegerer, who describes the situation on site as follows: “Here in the Nikopol region, the war is happening very closely. We face Russian bombings every day.”

The Relief Organization International activities in Nikopol are financed by funds from Neighbor in Need and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and are an essential part of winter aid for Ukraine. Heinz Wegerer explained to Ambassador Benkö the challenging logistical processes that ensure vital supplies for the needy population and gave deep insights into the dramatic situation that the local population, but also the teams of the aid organizations, are confronted with every day. The distributions and the Help Point Pokrov, run by the International Relief Organization, are an important place for the Ukrainian population, who have been supplied with vital relief supplies from here since the beginning of the war. In addition to material support, psychosocial help, advice and protected children’s rooms are also provided.

Ambassador is proud

Ambassador Arad Benkö expresses his great appreciation for the frontline projects: “I am proud that Hilfe International, as an Austrian organization, can help so quickly, effectively and easily when the need is greatest.”

Help for Nikopol from Austria

The International Relief Organization has so far been able to provide effective assistance to the civilian population on the front line in Ukraine in various areas. Here are some of the milestones achieved:

From September 2022 to July 2023, 3,000 food and hygiene packages were distributed monthly. Since August 2023, food and hygiene packages have been distributed monthly to 1,500 families. In the winter of 2022-2023, 3,000 winter packages were distributed. In January 2024, an additional 800 families received winter packages. In total Relief Organization International delivered more than 70 power generators to Ukraine, 8 of them to the Nikopol district: Here, 8 powerful diesel generators in the range from 30 KVA to 1025 KVA were procured and delivered to water supply companies and hospitals in the district. Relief Organization International has been operating one since March 2023 Help Point in Pokrow/Nikopol, which distributes emergency aid packages with food and hygiene items to 400 households every month. At the Help Point in Pokrow, children and adults receive support from psychologists and social workers as needed. After the destruction of the Kachowka dam, water deliveries were made with more than 126 days than 20 million liters of drinking water for 50,000 people. Over 50 large water tanks were set up in the streets of Marhanets and surrounding villages. 5,200 water canisters were distributed in the Nikopol district. In November and December 2022, 1,000 aid packages specifically for children were distributed. The International Relief Organization supports local initiatives such as a children’s soccer competition in safer areas of the district.

Pictures & videos from the ambassador’s visit for free use

Interview offer

The International Emergency Relief Coordinator, Heinz Wegerer, returned from Ukraine today and is available to media representatives for interviews. For coordination, please contact Bianca Weissel ([email protected] / 0676 87 87 60 110)

About the International Aid Organization

Hilfewerk International is an Austrian and global aid organization with headquarters in Vienna. It was founded in 1978 with the aim of carrying out emergency relief projects and sustainable development projects in Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and Southeast Europe. With a total of more than 124 employees in 18 countries, projects in the areas of health, education, social affairs and agriculture are initiated in close cooperation with local teams and local civil society organizations. The focus is on structural poverty reduction by promoting economic and social development. The focus of the work of the Relief Organization International is on supporting the population groups most at risk of poverty and exclusion, such as women, children, older people and ethnic minorities.

The non-profit, non-partisan and non-denominational organization operates independently under the umbrella of the Austrian relief organization family. The projects are financed by national and international project funds for development cooperation and humanitarian aid as well as private donations, corporate social responsibility partnerships and sponsorship. For more information, see: https://www.hilfswerk.at/international/

Photos & videos of the ambassador’s visit

for free use

Pictures & Videos

Questions & Contact:

International Aid Organization
Mag. Bianca Weissel
Head of Communications
+43 1 405 75 00 112, +43 676 87 87 60 110
[email protected]

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