Second Vytauto Ave. On the day of operation of the center, located at the intersection of Kęstučio Street, hundreds of foreigners who had successfully escaped from the horrors of war to a safe haven in Kaunas were buzzing inside it.
Some of the center rushed to carry support packages, others tasted lunch provided by Maisto Bankas volunteers.
Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min photo / Refugee Registration and Assignment Center in Kaunas Culture Center
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15min One volunteer who spoke in Lithuanian admitted that he was not a Lithuanian but a Ukrainian. As it turned out, not a single Ukrainian citizen rushed to realize himself – to help his brothers and sisters.
According to Paulius Keras, the head of Kaunas Emergency and Operations Management Center, many Ukrainians do not want to take on long-term work commitments because they believe that they are visiting Lithuania only for a short time, hoping that the war will end soon and they will be able to return home. So the alternative is volunteering.
Photo by Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min photo / Paulius Keras
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Can accommodate about 100 Ukrainians
The center provides accommodation for Ukrainians in conjunction with Strong Together. There are three rooms that can accommodate about 100 refugees for a few days (up to 72 hours) – until a permanent place of residence is designated.
Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min photo / Refugee Registration and Assignment Center in Kaunas Culture Center
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A social worker is assigned to each visitor, medical information is provided by the staff of the polyclinic, the education of the arriving children is taken care of, and the employees of the Employment Service also have their place of work at the center.
According to P.Kero, a number of places are planned for Ukrainians to find employment – industrialists and employers have responded willingly to the call for help. Many Ukrainians are already working in Kaunas.
Most of the refugees come here to register in the Migration Department system, although the department staff will only start working here from Thursday. Then the Ukrainians will stop registering in the Kaunas branch of the department, located at A.Juozapavičiaus ave.
Erikas Ovčarenko / BNS / Kaunas Migration Division
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“There are several floors in the building. Waiting, Migration Department hall, catering area, sleeping areas. Various organizations – the Red Cross, Caritas, the Food Bank, Save the Children, and countless city volunteers – helped to complete the building, – said P. Keras.
1.5 thousand ready. accommodation places
According to P.Kero, Kaunas is currently ready to accommodate 1.5 thousand people. refugees from Ukraine. Not even half of the premises have been filled yet.
Most of them are accommodation offered by the residents, about 30 apartments are also offered by the municipality. In Kulautuva, a former sanatorium building is planned for this purpose – it can accommodate about 300 people, and one non-functioning hotel can accommodate 150-200 Ukrainians.
If the flows increase, less comfortable collective safety buildings than schools are being prepared for the temporary accommodation of refugees.
“We do not see the majority of visitors who have stayed with friends, acquaintances and relatives and are not registered with the Migration Department. To my knowledge, the department has registered about 500 arrivals. Today, the center was also visited by about 500 Ukrainians, so it is likely that more than 1,000 refugees from Ukraine currently live in Kaunas. We are trying to increase the number of places available for accommodation on a daily basis, ”said P. Keras.
257 children are already in education
Mr. Kerr was pleased that all Ukrainians who applied were provided with the necessary assistance. Preparing for a larger flow of arrivals – the challenges that are currently emerging are being dealt with more easily.
257 children are already in 8 kindergartens in the city and in 21 schools. For others, distance learning lessons online directly from Ukraine are planned.
Photo of Kaunas City Municipality / Children who have fled Ukraine in Kaunas
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Teachers praise that these children have a very good command of English. Ukrainians want to study together with Lithuanians.
In total, about 500 Ukrainian children have already found safe shelter in Kaunas. The aim is for the city to have access not only to educational services, social or psychological assistance, but also to a wide range of cultural and sporting activities, non-formal education and education.
257 children are already in 8 kindergartens in the city and in 21 schools.
At the next meeting, Kaunas City Council will make decisions on the opening of sports schools, theaters, cultural centers, museums and libraries for Ukrainian children.
In order to make the integration of young Ukrainians and acquaintance with Kaunas smoother, Kaunas cultural and sports institutions are ready to invite them to free activities and events.
The first night is occupied by 7 beds
After the decision of the Ministry of the Interior to establish a registration center in Kaunas (until then they were established at the border and in the capital), the premises were prepared within 3-4 days.
“The center is funded by the municipality. Voluntary organizations also contribute, and the vast majority of human resources are volunteers, which is usually the largest part of the costs, ”said Kerer, who did not disclose how much money was earmarked for the maintenance of the center. euros.
The municipality has also opened a special account to which everyone can transfer funds as support to Ukrainians. In total, in a few weeks, the townspeople donated about 15 thousand. euros. They will be used to purchase a dressing that will travel to the sister city of Kharkiv, a Ukrainian city in Kaunas.
According to the coordinator of Kaunas Refugee Registration Center, Darius Norkaitis, not everyone comes to Lithuania with funds for initial establishment: some come with luxury cars, others – with absolutely nothing. The newcomers belong to different social strata.
Photo by Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min / Darius Norkaitis
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“In such a short time, there was a considerable challenge to install these premises together with the self-government, to assemble a joint team to carry out the activities,” assured D. Norkaitis, who works as a police officer.
According to him, the center’s security guards at night, will work Red Cross volunteers, will be supervised in public order.
“We have no incidents. The experience of other cities shows that everything happens. We see the risk, but we will try to ensure that no criminal acts take place here, ”D. Norkaitis assured, revealing that 7 people were staying overnight in the center on the first night.
According to him, 95 percent. center visitors – women and children.
Photo of Kaunas City Municipality / Children who have fled Ukraine in Kaunas
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Hardly adapted for the disabled
Already on the first day of operation of the center, there were complaints in the public space that the building is completely unsuitable for the disabled – it has many stairs and steps.
Member of the Seimas Justas Džiugelis, who visited the Kaunas Refugee Registration Center on Wednesday, also spoke about it on his personal facebook account, asking whether it was the only premises in the temporary capital suitable for receiving people fleeing the war with dignity.
“It simply came to our notice then. Not to mention the people who have young children, and the vast majority here. There are also older people who need to climb hundreds of stairs. I got on the lifts myself, they work, but it’s a huge inconvenience for everyone. I urge Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis to solve the problem here and now, ”J. Džiugelis said in the video.
What he saw during the visit he called chaos.
Ernesta Čičiurkaitė / 15min photo / Justas Džiugelis
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Asked about it, Kerer said that one person in a wheelchair representing certain disabled people’s organizations had been admitted – he had tested all the routes and lifts.
“The whole area where the service takes place was accessible with lifts for the disabled. Yes, there are actually stairs somewhere, but considering the period during which the center was installed and what the current opportunities are, the opportunities for the disabled are optimally created, ”said P. Kerer.
Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min photo / Refugee Registration and Assignment Center in Kaunas Culture Center
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Ukrainians will also be offered entertainment
There will be no cultural activities in Kaunas Culture House at the moment, only employees of this institution will work in their offices – no events are planned in the hall.
Kaunas Dance Studio Aura, Kaunas Santaka Orchestra and Kaunas City Theater, as well as the Romuva Cinema, which will soon open their doors, are preparing to give tickets to performances, art festivals, events and concerts to Ukrainians staying in the city.
Kaunas Culture Center will offer participation in educational activities, creative workshops, camps, movement laboratory lessons, art groups and other entertainment events.
Kaunas Artists’ House will also be waiting for children at concerts, film screenings or educational events.
Teodoras Biliūnas / 15min photo / Refugee Registration and Assignment Center in Kaunas Culture Center
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The city’s museums and their departments will also open their expositions for free visit. City libraries will issue readers’ tickets free of charge to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, and will invite them to join educational activities and non-formal education programs.
Also, all conditions will be created to actively spend free time and attend trainings of the desired sports in Kaunas city sports schools. Žalgiris, Bangputis, Starto, Gaja and Kaunas swimming schools will be waiting for both experienced athletes and beginners. The institutions themselves and their communities are determined to provide the necessary equipment for children who want to play sports.
These decisions regarding the opening of cultural and sports institutions for Ukrainians will have to be approved by Kaunas City Council, which will meet next Tuesday.
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