Homeless. Homeless
„Being without a home or on the run was a bitter reality for many people in 2022. The youth hostels in the Rhineland were able to provide rapid assistance.“
Oliver Mirring, Managing Director DJH Rhineland Regional Association
Being strong together and helping where possible: In 2022, the DJH Rhineland regional association once again offered its services to authorities and organisations as a supportive partner for people in need. Dismayed by the war in Ukraine and the unbelievable suffering of the population, a helpful cooperation was established with the district governments of Düsseldorf and Cologne and subsequently with the city of Wuppertal: an entire children's home arrived at Wuppertal Youth Hostel on 4 March 2022 from bombarded Kiev. It was one of the first homes to be completely evacuated after the outbreak of war. The plan was for the 75 orphans and their carers to stay until 31 August. However, the extent of the war means that it is still not possible to return any time soon. That is why everyone involved is trying to give the children and young people aged between four and seventeen a more or less „normal“ life. Some of them go to school and receive childcare, where there is plenty of room for games, sport and singing together.
„Of course it's a different country with a different language, but we try to give the children the feeling that the processes are roughly the same as before.“
Don't lose hope
The „Sozialtherapeutische Kinder- und Jugendarbeit e.V.“ (SKJ) association is also active at Wuppertal Youth Hostel. It supports the team of carers on site. „It's important,“ says deputy manager Marco Golub, „that they don't lose hope of returning home. At the same time, they should feel at home here.“ Everyday life has also changed for hostel manager Corinna Wendel and her staff at Wuppertal Youth Hostel. „Before,“ she says, „the school classes changed every four to five days, now the same children live here permanently. This often leads to very practical challenges, such as the question: What are we cooking today?“
Further co-operations in Cologne and Duisburg
The city of Cologne was also supported with temporary accommodation for refugees from Ukraine. The Pathpoint Cologne youth hostel near the train station was available for this purpose from 1 April 2022. The DJH Rhineland regional association had previously continued its cooperation with the „Helping Hands“ association there. For the second winter in a row, this gave 34 homeless people the opportunity to stay in warm accommodation until the end of March. Last but not least, helpers sometimes need help too: in March, for example, the Duisburg-Landschaftspark Youth Hostel was home to THW employees who were looking after war refugees in the neighbouring power station of the Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord.
English (UK) 
Deutsch 
Français 
Nederlands