Assisting Refugees and Those in Need in Berlin, Germany – January to March 2016

By Berlin, Germany Relief Team (Originally in German)

In a response to Master’s compassionate instruction to help the refugees and those less fortunate, our Association members from Berlin, Germany used EUR 3,121.46 from Master’s relief fund to provide various aid to refugees, and homeless and disadvantaged individuals in Berlin from late January to early March 2016.

On January 27, we visited the State Office for Health and Social Affairs Berlin (Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales “LAGeSo”), where a few volunteers were helping refugees waiting at the registration department. We met volunteers Husseyin and Jorinde who cook a vegan soup at home almost every evening and bring it with some warm clothes to the LAGeSo for distribution. Husseyin learned how to cook Syrian soup by himself for this purpose, so we decided to finance them for their good work for at least one week and bought the food materials for their vegan soup.

Jorinde told us there are some women with babies waiting day and night at the registration department of LAGeSo. Therefore, we distributed baby clothes and utensils to eight of them. In addition, we bought requested items, such as blankets and candles, for people who were homeless in Berlin based on the information Jorinde posted on her website. Jorinde kindly distributed the supplies.

On February 4, two of our Berlin Association members delivered warm vegan shoes, winter clothes and 44 tickets for public transport to a refugee camp. Three days later, we contacted the manager of a nearby emergency shelter for homeless and disadvantaged people to inquire about their needs, and accordingly, we brought jeans, vegan shoes and undergarments for 15 persons.

Through another charity organization, we got to know a group of about 20 young refugees between the ages of 15 and 17 from different countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Iraq. They came by themselves to Germany, without their families. All of them were going to a school in Berlin and quickly learned some German. Some of them asked for new clothes and shoes and a brand new haircut so that they could look respectful at school. Therefore, we gave them EUR 150 worth of haircut vouchers on February 12. On March 11, we went shopping with them and spent EUR 997 for the items they needed.

These young people were extremely friendly and respectful and told us part of their stories and plans for the future. We wish them, as well as all the refugees and those in need in Germany, a bright future in this country.

Expenditures by The Supreme Master Ching Hai for Refugee Relief Work and for Assisting Homeless and Disadvantaged Individuals in Berlin, Germany, January 27 to March 11, 2016