The city administration informs politicians about the status of the solidarity partnership in a current communication document. The two administrations are in very close and regular contact. It has become clear in the discussions that there is a great deal of interest in cultural and professional exchange on the Ukrainian side over and above the donation partnership. Discussions are therefore currently underway as to whether and in what form such projects can be carried out. A letter of intent is to be signed to further develop the solidarity partnership.

In order to quickly help the people in need in Kherson, the city of Bonn and the Bonn-based aid organization "Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe" launched the donation project "Bonn hilft Cherson" in March. The city and the organization are working together to collect donations for humanitarian projects in Kherson. Due to the ongoing attacks and the destruction of the Kakhovka dam at the beginning of June, many people in Kherson and the region are in need of help.

With the appeal "Bonn helps Kherson - you can help too!", the city of Bonn and "Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe" (Help for Self-Help) advertised for donations for the partnership on digital display boards in the city. By the beginning of September, around 70,000 euros in donations had been collected, which will be used to help flood victims and to improve the technical equipment of a children's hospital in Kherson (including the procurement of X-ray and incubation equipment for newborns). The campaign website "Bonn hilft Cherson" (www.bonn-hilft-cherson.de) (opens in a new tab) provides information on the specific measures.

Further campaigns are planned as part of the donation partnership in the second half of 2023. Mayor Katja Dörner wrote to Bonn's schools in August asking them to support the donation project. Bonn schools can contribute to supporting the city of Kherson with various activities such as charity runs, flea markets or concerts. The schools will receive information and advertising materials free of charge. The participating school classes also receive a certificate.

The donation partnership will also be promoted at the final concert of the Beethovenfest on September 24. In addition to a "Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe" stand in the foyer of the opera, there will also be a full-page advertisement in the program booklet. As part of the Bonn SDG Days, "Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe" will have an information stand at the Bonn Festival on September 30. There will also be an appeal for donations for the partnership during the sustainability program on the stage at the market. Further events are in preparation.

Mayor Katja Dörner emphasizes the importance of the solidarity partnership for the people of Kherson: "I am very pleased about every act of solidarity within the framework of this partnership. We citizens of Bonn are sending a clear signal of our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. That gives us courage in this terrible, inhumane war."

In July 2023, three municipal vehicles (a crew transport vehicle from the Bonn fire department, a street cleaning vehicle and a waste collection vehicle from "bonnorange AöR") were donated to Kherson. The transportation was carried out with the logistical and financial support of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief through a forwarding agency. The vehicles arrived in Kherson on July 15 and 18 respectively and have been in use there ever since. Two more vehicles are expected to be procured by GIZ and handed over to the city of Bonn by the end of the year as part of the BMZ-funded project "Improving civil protection in municipal partnerships with Ukraine". The city will then organize the transport to Kherson.

Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, the Central Warehouse for Donations in Kind Bonn (ZeSaBo) accepted donations in kind to help cope with the flood disaster and support the people of Kherson. These included technical equipment and tools, office equipment, medical products and hygiene articles. The donations were delivered to Kherson by the "Blue Yellow Cross" association at the beginning of August. The city of Bonn also donated 144 computers, which were exchanged for laptops and are being used in the Kherson city administration.

Numerous associations and initiatives have organized solidarity events for the people of Ukraine in recent weeks and months. The City of Bonn has supported some of these events, including the "Ukraine Day" on August 19 at the Bonn Art Museum and the event to mark Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24 in front of the Old Town Hall. A benefit concert for Kherson is planned for October 1, for which the Mayor of Bonn has assumed patronage.

The Bonn Kherson Solidarity Partnership is coordinated by the Office for International Affairs and Global Sustainability. For all inquiries regarding the partnership, please contact  chersonbonnde