German housing giant Deutsche Wohnen has announced plans to close two of its furniture warehouses in Berlin and donate most of their content to refugees who have found refuge in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
The rest of the furniture will goes to refugee Ukrainians now living in Berlin.
With the help of the Ukrainian designer Ewa Herzog, who was able to set up a logistical aid network at the end of February this year and has already transported over 1,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine with hundreds of helpers, contact was made with the mayor of the city of Lviv.
'Thanks to the generous donation of furniture, the lives of many Ukrainians, some of whom have nothing left because they had to drop everything, will become more pleasant and a little more comfortable,' Herzog said.
Deutsche Wohnen employees helped load a 40-tonne truck with beds, tables, shelves, sofas, cupboards, kitchen equipment and more. This was then sent directly to western Ukraine. Further furniture will be given to refugees on site in Berlin who have found accommodation in Deutsche Wohnen apartments in the capital.
To date, Deutsche Wohnen has been able to let more than 200 apartments – in Dresden, Magdeburg, Braunschweig and Berlin – to refugees from Ukraine. With these measures, over 600 Ukrainians, mostly mothers with children, have been able to find a new home.
'It is very moving to see how quickly colleagues decided to get involved and make relief efforts like this possible in the first place. I'm very happy that we can implement these campaigns so quickly and with minimum bureaucracy,' added Stefanie Koch, managing director at Deutsche Wohnen.
