Collective Memory Of Rotterdam's Destruction Shapes Dutch Solidarity With Ukraine - Volunteer

(MENAFN- UkrinForm)

Van Domburg said this in an exclusive interview with an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.

“Bombed-out Rotterdam is in our blood, in the DNA of the Dutch. What happened in Rotterdam then was something that should never have been repeated. But, unfortunately, it has repeated in Ukraine. I know a lot about World War II and how Rotterdam was bombed. I know what war is. That is why we are standing with Ukraine,” she said.

“Helping is not a choice, but a duty,” said the 89-year-old Dutch volunteer. Although she was still a child during World War II, she remembers a lot about that time and has taught her children all her life to show compassion and to act.

“We were taught from an early age: if someone needs help, you help. In our home, despite the war years, the doors were always open to others. My mother always responded if someone was in difficulty, came for advice or assistance,” the volunteer said.

According to her, the Dasha Foundation has become an important point of support for Ukrainians, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable. It provides targeted, personalized humanitarian assistance.

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“Previously, almost everything was handled by my daughter. But everything developed rapidly. So a foundation was needed to cooperate with larger companies; then more could be done, and for them, official registration is a kind of guarantee and trust. Donors (both private individuals and companies) have greater confidence in foundations with this certificate and the special ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status, which is granted to organizations working for the public good under strict supervision and, accordingly, enjoy public trust. Therefore, the Dasha Foundation was officially established in July 2023. Every two weeks, 200 kilograms of humanitarian cargo are sent to refugee support centers, targeted assistance is provided to families with elderly people and mothers with children, and programs are in place to support educational initiatives for orphanages. We help with medicines and special nutrition for sick children. In particular, in 2024, 6,000 kilograms of aid were sent to Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions. This included clothing, footwear, hygiene products, foodstuffs, medicines, school supplies for children, toys, bed linen, towels, and more. Over 70 families also received targeted assistance. In addition, we funded two sessions of a summer camp for children with disabilities, totaling 30 days of stay, which made it possible to distract them somewhat from constant anxiety caused by attacks,” the volunteer recounted.

The foundation is named“Dasha” after the first child who received targeted assistance seven years ago.

“We still, every three months, purchase special nutrition so that the girl can grow and develop fully,” she noted.

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As reported by Ukrinform, large-scale training exercises were held in the Netherlands for medical personnel in the event of wartime scenarios.

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