10/1 to 10/31 PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM UPDATE

Roxy, VM4U Psychological Supporting Program Manager, and her Team, Inga, Alexandra, and Nataliya, continue supporting refugees here in Vienna. No further details are provided for privacy reasons. The Psychological support team is also advising on the St. Nicholas Project.

10/1 to 10/31 MUSIC PROGRAM UPDATE

Nadiia, Music Program Manager and Instructor, continues to return refugee children to their music training. The program has 5 instructors for 10 children: Joel (Saxophone), Emin (Piano), Mariam (Piano), Nadiia (Violin), Svetlana (Guitar). The program needs a keyboard and guitar teacher. The music program is a partnership with Kimu Wien (@kimu_wien), Liberty Education, and Domivka. VM4U donations are used for instrument maintenance, instrument rental, and instruction materials.

10/1 to 10/31 FURNISHINGS PROGRAM UPDATE

Nathan, Furnishings Program Manager, continues to work with Olga, The Feel Good Store, to transfer furniture and appliances directly from donors to refugees on a regular basis using the VM4U van and Nathan’s van. The furnishings team includes Pasha, Artem, Arkady, Anatolii, Jake, Jesse, both Coach Oleksandrs, Adam, and others. VM4U donations are used for van fuel.

10/1 to 10/31 VAN PROGRAM UPDATE

Nathan, VM4U Van Program Manager, coordinates the VM4U van activities and drivers including furniture deliveries, refugee relocation missions, donation circulation for The Feel Good Store and Matusya, art transport for Ptashka Art Project, and delivery of aid donations from Austria to Ukraine for Kleine Herzen, First Aid First Hand, YOUkraine, UAID-DIRECT, and other aid organizations. The VM4U van was used for 12 days in October to perform deliveries in Ukraine supporting the YOUkraine organization. VM4U donations are used for van fuel and maintenance.

10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30 FOOTBALL PROGRAM TRAINING

Coach Oleksandr, Football Program Manager, and Coach Sergii continue to host football training for children ages 6-11 on Monday nights from 17:30-19:00 at the outdoor fields at Sport Center Donau City in cooperation with Domivka. On 10/2, the football group played a friendly match with The Feel Good Store sponsored football group. The two groups work together to further enhance the Ukrainian children’s football community here in Vienna. Roxy, Psychological Support Program Manager, continues to bring snacks to the kids after each session which has become tradition. Field costs of €50/session were sponsored by Yvonne and John.

10/8 to 10/12 OLEG’S SUPPORT CASE

Oleg worked to support a refugee who needed immediate, life-saving surgery. However, this refugee was unable to use their social health care benefits for bureaucratic reasons. With the help of Oleg, case manager, and Michael, advocate, the refugee was able to complete the bureaucratic gauntlet after one week and has since successfully completed surgery.

10/10 TACMED UKRAINE AMBULANCE SUPPLY PROJECT INITIALIZED

VM4U and FAFH are working to raise donations and procure an ambulance for TacMed Ukraine. The specific type of ambulance requested is a VW Amarak, which is known to exist in Norway and Sweden. Björn, Project Manager, is currently working to source an Amarak in Norway which can be purchased using VM4U donations.

10/10, 10/12, 10/13, 10/25 MEDICS SUPPORT PROGRAM

Urgently requested medical supplies and ambulance repairs were provided to TacMed Ukraine in October. Medical supplies included two stretchers, two LifePak12 patient monitors, one ECG (heart monitor) procured and delivered using VM4U donations. Ambulance repairs included a new battery. Additional medical equipment and supplies were raised by First Aid First Hand and YOUkraine and delivered to TacMed Ukraine medics and a hospital in Kramatorsk. VM4U donations were used for urgently needed medical supplies and ambulance repairs.

10/11 to 10/23 VM4U-YOUKRAINE VAN MISSION

Max, YOUkraine driver, used the VM4U van to deliver urgently needed medical supplies raised by First Aid First Hand and YOUkraine to front line hospitals and TacMed Ukraine medics. No VM4U donations were used during this mission.

10/12 MEDIA COVERAGE FROM DW

Teri Schultz, DW Inside Europe, covered the First Aid First Hand Ambulance Supply Project with interviews with VM4U and TacMed Ukraine volunteer in Vienna and Ukraine.
https://www.dw.com/en/inside-europe-12-october-2023/audio-67080941 (start at -45:45)

10/12 MEETING WITH MATUSYA

Adam, VM4U Executive Director, met with Valerya, Matusya Director. Matusya is an Aid Collection and Distribution Center serving Ukrainian Children. The center needs and supplies diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6), hygiene, toys, games, bicycles, baby supplies, and Ukrainian language children’s books. With the Feel Good Store shifting away from their aid collection and distribution operations, VM4U will be rerouting material donations for children to Matusya effective immediately. We also discussed collaborating on children’s programs and the need for a girls athletics program in parallel to the Domivka/VM4U football program, specifically gymnastics and dance. We also discussed the need for Ukrainian children’s books and potential use of the VM4U resources to buy and retrieve books from Ukraine.

10/14 HOSTEL HUTTELDORF SUPPORT CASE

Today, Adam, driving Michael’s SUV, supported Anastasiia from Hostel Hutteldorf (refugee center and dormitory operated by Volkshilfe) by transporting Stanislav (partially blind) from the Vienna International Bus Terminal to Hostel Hutteldorf. VM4U donations were used for diesel.

10/16 SVETLANA SUPPORT CASE

Svetlana is the caretaker for her daughter, elderly mother (wheel chair with dementia), elderly mother, and elder aunt. Dr. Viktoria, volunteer, took care of Svetlana’s elderly mother (also Svetlana) while Svetlana took her father and aunt to Austria Center Vienna for the regular administrative appointment.

10/22 VAN MISSION – KYIV

Andrey, using his private vehicle during personal travel, delivered medical equipment and supplies raised by First Aid First Hand to TacMed Ukraine. No VM4U donations were used.

10/25 MATUSYA SUPPLY PROJECT

Adam, volunteer and driver, used the VM4U van to purchase diapers, baby shampoo, and wipes at METRO-Simmering and delivered them to Matusya Children’s Aid Collection and Distribution Center in Vienna (matusya.at). Matusya needs 2-2.5k EUR in donations per month just for diapers! VM4U donations were used for baby supplies and van diesel.

10/31 SVITLANA SUPPORT CASE UPDATE

Svitlana, refugee undergoing chemotherapy, currently resides at Hostel Huttledorf (refugee center and dormitory operated by Volkshilfe). Unfortunately, Svitlana got caught in gears of the bureaucracy, ended up on the Fonds Socialez Wien (FSW) accommodations blacklist, and was slated for eviction from the refugee center. Michael, advocate, visited FSW at Austria Center Vienna (ACV) and successfully negotiated Svitlana’s removal from the FSW accommodations black list. It is expected Svitlana will receive a government sponsored accommodation in the near future.

10/31 First Aid First Hand (FAFH) AMBULANCE SUPPLY PROJECT UPDATE

Dymytro, the FAFH ambulance, is in operation transporting patients! However, Dymytro was off to a very rough start and broke down twice in October, on 10/11 and 10/24. VM4U donations were used to purchase a new battery on 10/11 and will be used to cover a repair of the radiator to be completed next month.

10/31 2023 ST. NICHOLAS PROJECT INITIALIZATION

Pippa, St. Nicholas Project Manager, has begun coordinating the Team Vienna support of Ukrainian children over the upcoming holiday season. Based on experience from 2022, several charities in Vienna wish to actively support Ukrainian children and provide holiday gifts while several charities and displaced orphanages in Austria and Ukraine are linked to Ukrainian children who need gifts (and essentials). The 2022 St. Nicholas Project supplied gifts to 417 children in Austria and Ukraine, including 4 orphanages. The project is not limited to gift exchange but includes all aspects of the wellbeing of children and the delivery of the spirit of the holidays. The role of the Psychological Support Team is to provide guidance about the mental health and childhood development needs of refugee children and provide recommendations on the types of gifts and events which are most impactful. Olga, The Feel Good Store, will advise Pippa on the Ukrainian perspective. Unique to this year, the Ukrainian government has legally changed the Ukrainian holiday calendar to align with the EU holiday calendar – Ukrainian St. Nicholas day will occur on Dec. 6 and Christmas day on Dec. 25. VM4U donations may be used to procure items, such as Ukrainian language books and bicycles, which are essential to early childhood development to ensure refugee children do not fall behind their peers and do not miss essential childhood experiences.