Einer unserer Kooperationspartner:innen in der Ukraine ist die Romn:ja Jugendorganisation ARCA: Youth Organization for the Advocacy of Roma Culture. ARCA setzt sich für die politische und gesellschaftliche Beteiligung von jungen Romn:ja in der Ukraine ein. Sie arbeiten außerdem für das Gedenken und Erinnern an den den Genozid an den Rom:nja im Nationalsozialismus und unterstützen derzeit viele Überlebende in der Ukraine. Der Vorsitzende Vova Yakovenko hat sich die Zeit genommen, uns über ihre Arbeit, die Herausforderungen und die Situation vor Ort zu berichten.
“Our organization is a youth Roma organization. We are trying to include Roma youth in all socio-political processes that take place in Ukrainian society and thereby integrate the Roma. We work with various topics such as non-formal education, human rights, art and also the theme of the Roma genocide during the Second World War!
After February 24, when hostilities began, we realized that many people need help because a humanitarian catastrophe is following the war and people will need medicine, food, shelter, and so on. Therefore, we began to help people as much as possible. Now we are trying to return to our main activity, but at the same time we are helping the most vulnerable segments of the population, regardless of whether they are Roma or non-Roma.
In the middle of summer, we began to observe a situation when refugees began to return en masse back to Ukraine. This happens for various reasons, someone decided to return to their relatives, someone’s settlement was de-occupied, and someone succumbed to discrimination and did not find asylum in Europe and decided to return back. But at many venues where we were invited to perform, we repeat like a mantra one fear that with the approach of cold weather we will have a new wave of refugees from Ukraine and Europe should be ready for this. These refugees will flee not only from the war, but also from the cold, as infrastructure has been destroyed in many settlements.
So in my city of Kremenchug, after rocket bombings, there is a threat that half of the city will be left without heating apartments, since the heating system was destroyed. Local authorities tried to restore it, but a repeated rocket attack was carried out and everything that was restored was again destroyed. Such a picture is also observed in other cities, especially after October 10, when for almost a day all large settlements (which are far from the front line) succumbed to rocket attacks and critical infrastructure suffered. Now we are forced to save electricity.
Now we are trying to help people who survived the horrors of World War II. All these people are quite advanced in age, some of them are forced to evacuate, some have lost their homes, but most of them remain at home due to poor health and again, like many years ago, endure all the horrors of war. On behalf of our organization, on my own behalf, I want to thank all the people who are not indifferent. And also I want to convey the words of gratitude from the elderly who receive this help. Every time I hear words of gratitude and prayers for all people!!”
Das Hilfsnetzwerk konnte bislang 141.000 Euro Spendengelder für Überlebende, Angehörige und Fachkolleg:innen einsetzen. Diese Woche konnten wir 50 Überlebende des Genozids an den Rom:nja mit einer finanziellen Soforthilfe unterstützen. Unser Dank gilt den Spender:innen, aber auch unseren Partner:innen in der Ukraine, ohne deren Arbeit diese Unterstützung nicht möglich wäre.
Wer direkt unterstützen will, kann dies im Rahmen einer Spendekampagne des Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma und des Hilfsnetzwerks anlässlich des Europäischen Holocaust Gedenktages für Sinti und Roma: Hilfe für Überlebende Roma der NS-Verfolgung in der Ukraine – Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma – betterplace.org