“Today I had a very touching encounter with a woman from Ukraine I had never met before. She told me how, after fleeing Ukraine and feeling completely overwhelmed, she visited an aid centre and received basic daily necessities without any red tape and free of charge: food, hygiene items – from toothbrushes to shampoo, clothing, and even diapers, which her elderly mother needed. She regretted that she couldn’t remember the name of the organisation. I was able to help her because it was our camp. I explained to her that, thanks to our German partners, we maintain a camp that we are happy to share with the Ukrainian refugees, and I told her about the ISHR and its group in Wittlich and our joint work. I would like to thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to your help, there is no competition for humanitarian aid between refugees from Ukraine and Belarus, and certainly no hostility. With your support, you have made it possible for us to help others. Meeting the woman from Ukraine today was a very beautiful and moving moment for me,” Olga Karatch reported to us on October 1st. Head of the Belarusian human rights organisation “Nash Dom” (“Our House”) in Lithuanian exile.

In mid-September, news broke that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had released 52 political prisoners from custody, who were able to travel to Lithuania with their families a few hours later. “They literally arrived with only their passports in hand, no luggage, no toothbrush, no clean underwear. Without you, we wouldn’t know how to help,” wrote Olga Karatch. Rumour has it that more prisoners will follow. To supply them, the ISHR working group in Wittlich assembled another transport—the 592nd truckload of aid since the beginning of the transport of aid in 1991—and sent it to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

The collaboration between the Baltic ISHR sections in Lithuania and Latvia, the Belarusian organisation “Nash Dom,” and the German ISHR section goes beyond humanitarian aid: Using its earmarked donations, the ISHR organised a summer camp for refugee children traumatised by flight, war, and the imprisonment of their parents. They were cared for by professional psychologists and educators for several weeks. Refugees from Belarus and Ukraine still arrive daily. Even from Russia, people who have had enough of the Putin regime are fleeing across the Belarusian border. Through them, we receive current and authentic reports on the situation in their countries of origin. Our help is still needed. Thanks to well-negotiated contracts, the ISHR pays €1,800 per truck. ISHR members, all volunteers, organise at least 20 transports annually in Wittlich.