Marburg. As part of a joint project between Steinmühle, the Rotary Club of Marburg, and the Marburg-based educational institution Das LernTeam, children and teenagers from Ukraine have been receiving daytime care at Steinmühle for several weeks now and are being gently introduced to the German language. Now, the mothers of these young refugees are also receiving German lessons at Steinmühle—as a “transitional course”—until they are able to attend a regular, federally funded German course for adults.

“Sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else does”—this line from Nelson Mandela’s famous quote proved true even amid the turmoil of the war in Ukraine. Just outside Marburg—more precisely, at the home of the Gerkau family, who run the Seepark Niederweimar—a network of sports organizations came together shortly after the war began. Thanks to this effort, many families from Ukraine had already been placed with host families throughout Germany and Europe. Some, however, still had no place to stay. This was a situation the Rotary Club of Marburg wanted to change quickly.

“We brainstormed ways we could help,” says Alexei Padva of the Rotary Club of Marburg’s press office. “We also have a network that came into play here.” Rotary member Björn Gemmer, principal of Steinmühle School, pulled out all the stops to set up daycare for young Ukrainian refugees on the school grounds. The Marburg-based educational institution Das LernTeam, led by Christiane Konnertz, the wife of the school’s executive director Dirk Konnertz, came in handy. “It’s a small world—and that can be helpful sometimes,” he noted. Within a short time, the entire school infrastructure at Steinmühle was made available, along with LernTeam staff equipped with educational expertise. About 20 young people are currently being cared for at Steinmühle. The Rotary Club of Marburg is covering the financial costs.

Liv Brandenstein, along with Fynn Konnertz and Nora Theurer, is part of the LernTeam’s support staff. The student assistants describe the young people from Ukraine as highly motivated: “They want to learn German.” Their language proficiency levels—even in English—vary, but somehow they manage to communicate. Sometimes someone else translates, and sometimes it’s Mr. Google. They’re comfortable using digital media.

“The cell phone is their only remaining link to home,” observes Bernd Holly. Björn Gemmer’s fellow principal has welcomed a child or two, a teenager or two. “We’re also here to provide a distraction,” he says. Being far from home and the uncertainty about the fate of a father or older brother are a heavy burden.

No Prior Knowledge Required: German Courses for Mothers

While the Ukrainian mothers, who are staying with host families along with their children, had previously had no daily activities, that changed last week. That’s when a German language course for adults was launched specifically for them. “This course is also being held at the Steinmühle,” reports Alexei Padva. It is initially scheduled to last three months and is led by retired teacher Regina Kirchner, who is working on a freelance basis.

“What we’re trying to do,” says Padva, “is teach basic German.” Most of the mothers started the language course from scratch. Currently, there are nine participants, most of whom have academic degrees; two people are currently on the “waiting list” due to a lack of daycare spots. “We would like,” Padva said, “to use this joint initiative to help bridge the understandable waiting period until they are assigned to state-run courses.” This subsequent course can then be put to better use.

Gisela Falk, the current president of the Rotary Club of Marburg, thanked everyone who had made this rapid response possible. The Rotary Club of Marburg funded both projects using its own resources and a so-called Disaster Response Grant. This grant provides funds from Rotary International to support clubs’ disaster relief efforts. Once it became clear that the situation of the refugees here locally was covered by this grant, the board member responsible for this matter, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Maisch, promptly drafted the necessary application and ensured that the lion’s share of the total amount of 25,000 U.S. dollars, namely 10,800 US dollars, was allocated to the Marburg Rotary Club.
Additional substantial funds have been and continue to be raised through the RC Marburg’s appeal for donations and its subsequent application for financial support from Rotary Community Service Germany, with a potential maximum amount of 10,000 euros. Alexei Padva: “We want to continue helping as long as it is necessary.”