Christmas bus brings 1000 presents: Help for Ukraine's children!

Christmas bus brings 1000 presents: Help for Ukraine's children!

In the cold season, when the holidays are just around the corner, it's often the small gestures of charity that make your eyes shine. A wonderful example of this is Michael Kröger, who travels to Ukraine as German Santa Claus to distribute gifts to children in the war zone. Despite declining willingness to donate, Kröger has made it its mission to help those in need and has already organized over 20 aid transports since the beginning of the conflict. He has currently launched a Christmas campaign that enables him to bring around 1,000 gifts to Kiev. The loving gifts are intended for internally displaced children, who are often overlooked and housed in children's homes that house war orphans. The club supports him in this Direct aid Ukraine, of which he is a member.

Together with his team, they successfully completed the recent Christmas tour in the Ukrainian cities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Uman, Dnipro, Zaporizhia and Kiev. The aid campaign is by no means only very popular locally; Kröger also mobilized support from German communities, which worked closely together through fundraising campaigns, storage facilities and volunteers to realize the transports. With a donated old bus and a lot of passion, he was able to reach the children and put a smile on their faces.

The challenges of aid transport

The journey back to Germany can sometimes be a nerve-wracking undertaking. Kröger reported that the entire journey took almost 50 hours; he spent 18 hours at the border with Poland alone. However, the dangers associated with aid transport should not be underestimated. Given military attacks, high transportation costs and Ukraine's unstable infrastructure, logistics quickly become a challenge. In addition, Kröger was in poor health after his last missions. Nevertheless, he remains determined and is already planning the next aid transport for himJanuary 10th, which will bring other essential goods such as food, hygiene products and medical equipment to Ukraine.

The call for support remains extensive. “Every child should receive a personal gift,” explains Kröger, emphasizing how important it is that many more people take part in the fundraising campaigns. The areas of operation are not only aimed at those who suffer directly from war, but also at very poor conditions in which many children live. In the first year of his initiative, 500 children were supported, in the second year 1,000 and last year even more2,638 children.

Important recommendations for travelers

Although many are excited about the idea of ​​traveling directly to Ukraine, they should be aware of the current security situation. The Foreign Office warns against traveling to the region and recommends finding out about the applicable information and the situation at the border crossings. Anyone who wants to travel to Ukraine should have valid travel documents, sufficient cash reserves in euros or US dollars and sufficient provisions. Careful planning is crucial, especially since special regulations regarding driving and rest times apply to relief goods.

Michael Kröger's initiative and his unwavering belief in humanity show how much joy can be given even in dark times. Every contribution counts and together we can bring a bit of hope into the hearts of children. Anyone who would like to help can transfer their donations to an Ostrhauderfehn community account. Because even if the situation is often challenging, the small joys that you can give are immeasurably valuable.