LeadingCampings of Europe wanted to concretely express its sensitivity towards refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine: with an initiative aimed at welcoming refugees within the network’s camping facilities.
“The LeadingCampings of Europe feel particularly committed to the idea of a united Europe and peaceful exchange between peoples,” states a press release released last week. “That is why they do not look on helplessly and inactively when hundreds of thousands of women and children stream as war refugees from Ukraine into safe EU countries. The people arrive traumatised and exhausted in a completely foreign environment. Families are torn apart, with great concern for the relatives and friends left behind. With only the bare necessities on the road, they are in urgent need of support”.
In this situation, LeadingCampings offers its members to offer accommodation at their campsites. If each LeadingCamping provided just three of them, 111 families would have a roof over their heads. Depending on their possibilities, the participating campsites can in any case provide a greater number of accommodation solutions.
From a practical point of view, campsites report availability to local authorities and these take care of assigning them to families. After just one day from the launch of the LeadingCampings internal call, campsites in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, and France had already joined and the willingness to help is constantly growing.
“We see this as ad-hoc help, not a permanent solution,” say Simone Pokrandt and Eicke Schüürmann, the managing directors of the association. “In the beautiful surroundings of the campsites, the children in particular should be allowed to be children again and first come to rest. From here, permanent housing solutions or, in the very best case, return options can then be sought without pressure.”
The LeadingCampings on site help with questions of mobility, the local authorities arrange school attendance and other support.
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