Conference center becomes refugee accommodation
Locations in countries bordering and geographically close to Ukraine – including Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Germany – have taken very extensive measures, and continue to do so. Employees are often personally impacted by the war and have family and friends in Ukraine. This makes them especially eager to help, with many sites organizing shelters for refugees. Knorr-Bremse AG provided specific funding to the two highly dedicated Czech sites in Modřice and Stráž nad Nisou in their efforts to help Ukrainian family members. As a result, Ukrainian staff have provided temporary shelter and protection to 74 family members. Besides accommodation, refugees have received job offers and are able to access psychological counseling in Ukrainian through a telephone counseling service.
In addition, Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems’ own “Hofgut Eck” conference center at its Aldersbach site in Lower Bavaria has been converted into a refugee shelter. By early November 2022, 29 refugees from Ukraine had found a temporary home here, primarily women and children. As well as donating material supplies such as furniture, toys, clothing and school materials, employees from the location supported a wide range of integration activities. These included cooking together, organizing a German course, accompanying refugees to medical appointments and helping them navigate paperwork for local authorities, school registration and job applications. Another focus was helping with the difficult search for permanent housing. In addition, INSITE, an experienced provider of such support, arranged psychological counseling on an individual basis. After all, small steps can often make a great difference to a person’s overall wellbeing.