26/07/2023 | Press release
Schoolbags for the children of Chernivtsi: Rheinmetall makes €20,000 back-to-school donation for Ukraine
- Rheinmetall donates €20,000 to purchase schoolbags in Chernivtsi
- Funds channelled through Blau-Gelben Kreuz / Deutsch-Ukrainischer Verein e.V.
- Education the key to a better quality of life and equal opportunity
The executive board of Rheinmetall AG of Düsseldorf has approved a €20,000 donation to aid displaced families and children in the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi. The money will be channelled through the “Blau-Gelben Kreuz / Deutsch-Ukrainischer Verein e.V.”, a German NGO.
Chernivtsi is a partner city of Düsseldorf, Rheinmetall AG’s longstanding corporate seat.
As a globespanning enterprise, Rheinmetall has a strong sense of social responsibility and is eager to help mitigate the terrible consequences of the current conflict, whose impact on the young has been especially cruel.
By donating schoolbags, the Group wants to help children start school in a positive frame of mind, foster joy in learning, and ultimately to improve their prospects.
“We firmly believe that education is the key to a better life and for creating opportunity”, states Armin Papperger, chairman of the executive board of Rheinmetall AG. “In making this donation, we’re contributing to the education and wellbeing of Ukrainian youngsters, many of whose families are having to start from scratch in Chernivtsi after fleeing the fighting in the east of the country.”
The decision to donate schoolbags was no coincidence. A schoolbag is more than just a practical way of carrying books and writing materials. It symbolizes an important step on the path to independence and personal growth. Rheinmetall wants to make sure that children in Chernivtsi have the same opportunities as their peers in other parts of the world.
The decision to help children in Chernivtsi is based on the company’s conviction that people have a right to an education and deserve equal opportunity. Rheinmetall wants to break the cycle of war-induced poverty and let young people give free rein to their talents and make their dreams a reality.
“Our heartfelt thanks go to Rheinmetall for the generous donation that’s making this important step possible”, says Linda Mai, chief executive of the Blau-Gelben Kreuzes / Deutsch-Ukrainischer Verein e.V.
About the organization
Headquartered in Cologne, the Blau-Gelbes Kreuz (“blue-yellow cross”) is an officially recognized non-governmental organization that has been supporting the development of free and democratic Ukraine ever since 2014, providing help to war victims, particularly children, internally displaced persons, the injured and other severely needy people from regions affected by the war.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the organization has been assisting the people of Ukraine in a multitude of ways.