Brod-Posavina County Prefect Danijel Marušić received a delegation from the recently established Humanitarian Committee of Ukrainians to consider additional forms of assistance and institutional support for the reception of refugees from war-torn areas. All associations of Ukrainians in Brod-Posavina County are united in the committee, reports Lokalni.hr.
The focus was on preparations and the possibility of putting certain facilities in a state of readiness for the eventual reception of a more significant number of refugees and coordination between institutions and representatives of the Ukrainian national minority.
Marušić expressed deep sympathy with the Ukrainian people.
“We are all appalled by the situation in Ukraine. We hope that the war will end as soon as possible and that there will be no humanitarian exodus, but we must be ready for everything. Therefore, I am glad that the Government has organized an inter-ministerial group that coordinates the reception of refugees and humanitarian actions,” said Marušić.
Brod-Posavina County can accept 200 Ukrainians who have retained their national and cultural identity, which should facilitate the integration of potential refugees. According to data from last week, there are about 40 refugees in the county, mainly in the area of Gundinac, Stari Petrovo Selo, Nova Gradiska, and Slavonski Brod.
In Gundinci, a new, temporary home was found by three families with five children from the war-torn Odessa area, which the Božanović family received. The men of these families are employed by the Croatian entrepreneur Đuro Božanović, who has a company in Germany.
“As soon as I saw what was happening in Ukraine, I hired my workers to pick them up in a van and bring them to my apartments in Slavonia. We barely got them out,” said Božanović.
Representatives of the Humanitarian Committee inquired about the possibilities of accommodating a larger number of people from Ukraine. They were told that there were specific capacities in Cernik and Slavonski Brod and that they would be put into operation if necessary.
Members of the Ukrainian community from this area are ready to receive a more significant number of their exiled compatriots. Still, they want the reception to be institutionalized because they do not know how many people will have to stay here.
The President of the Ukrainian Community in the Republic of Croatia, Vlado Karešin, reminded that the situation is changing from hour to hour and that the arrival of new refugees can be expected as the columns at the border crossings with Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia is growing.
“We get information about people who come to relatives when they are already settled. We have received great support from the City and the County, so we already can accommodate about two hundred people,” said Karešin.
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