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Solidarity with Ukraine
A new Emergency Aid Programme supports cultural workers from Ukraine with rapid bridging aid on site and in the diaspora. The fund of almost 500,000 euros is being set up by the Goethe-Institut and the German Federal Cultural Foundation. In addition to the fund, the Goethe-Institut also offers free German courses and provides targeted information for people from Ukraine on the web portal "Mein Weg nach Deutschland".
Katja Keul, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, emphasises: "We must do everything we can to support the people in Ukraine and the refugees in the face of the brutal effects of this cynical war. This includes solidarity with our partners in cultural cooperation. The Emergency Aid Programme is a building block in the expansion of our support, which I have agreed on with Minister of State Claudia Roth." Carola Lentz, President of the Goethe-Institut, says: "The Goethe-Institut Ukraine is widely networked with the very active and lively cultural scene in the country. We are all stunned by the scale of destruction and violence since the Russian invasion and are in complete solidarity with Ukraine. With the new Emergency Aid Programme, we want to offer our long-standing partners in Ukrainian-German cultural exchange rapid support, whether in Ukraine or abroad." The Board of the Federal Cultural Foundation, Hortensia Völckers and Kirsten Haß, elaborated: "We must act and want to make #WeStandWithUkraine practical. Impressed by how many cultural institutions and creative artists are mobilising their forces to help the threatened Ukrainians, we are joining forces with all those who are standing up against the destruction of Ukrainian culture by participating in the Emergency Aid Programme. We know that it is a matter of survival."
Johannes Ebert, Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut: "At the moment, the most important thing is to maintain contact, listen carefully and provide targeted support. We see it as our task to provide the people of Ukraine with quick and uncomplicated help exactly where it is needed most. In addition to the Emergency Aid Fund, this also includes offers to learn German and information to make arriving in Germany easier." The Goethe-Institut Ukraine, for example, offers people who had to leave Ukraine due to the Russian invasion and are currently already in Germany or are planning to flee there, courses in "German for beginners" (A1-A2) in online format for the symbolic price of 7 hryvnia (0.25 euros). They are aimed at adults, children and adolescents from Ukraine. The courses in March are already fully booked, new offers are currently being prepared for mid-April. Those interested can register at www.goethe.de/ukraine. In addition, the Goethe-Institut also provides specific information for people from Ukraine on the page "Mein Weg nach Deutschland": www.goethe.de/meinwegnachdeutschland under the heading "Find Help". All offers for learning German are also published there.