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Hamburg-based aid association transforms office space into classroom for refugee children from Ukraine

Hamburg, March 22nd, 2022 – Hamburg-based non-profit organization Comparus hilft e.V. is using Comparus GmbH’s office space within Valvo Park in Langenhorn to enable children from Ukraine to attend online lessons with their Ukrainian schools. From their network of Ukrainian employees, founding members of the association had learned about the need for rooms and agreed to provide appropriate space.
The Hamburg-based company from which the aid organization emerged itself has a sister company in Dnipro, Ukraine, and together with the aid organization is trying to provide the necessary supplies to crisis regions and the arriving refugees.

It is 07:30 am when Britta Gamarnik opens the door for the children. In addition to her main profession as managing director of a consulting company, she is now also volunteering as a child care worker. Eight schoolchildren, all of them refugee children from Ukraine, are currently using her company’s office space within Valvo Park in Essener Straße as a classroom. “The office’s digital infrastructure is ideal for the children to attend their online lessons. These hybrid lessons are offered by the Ukrainians schools in order to continue providing structure and daily life for the children who have fled, but also for those who have stayed in Ukraine. Thanks to donations in kind from team members as well as friends, we also have toys and some children’s books for learning German here. Due to the pandemic, the premises are not used to 100% capacity, so it’s great that we can use them for such a good cause.”
The improvised classroom allows the children to keep their connection to their peers, discuss and process the events with teachers and classmates – while at the same time relieving the parents.

“Comparus hilft e.V. originally developed from the emergency when we found out about the local situation in terms of aid supplies and first aid medical supplies from colleagues at our sister company in Ukraine and acquaintances in the region.”, says Britta Gamarnik, foundress of Comparus hilft e.V. “Since the beginning of the war many members of our teams volunteered and together we help improving the supply situation in Ukraine while also helping refugees here in our offices.” In addition to providing classrooms and playrooms, we also help coordinate housing and provide everyday necessities such as clothing – many have come with only the bare essentials. We are also in close contact with the city of Norderstedt, which, together with its citizens, really takes care of the accommodation of the Ukrainian families in private homes”.

Companies, that also have coworkers in Ukraine and would like to help, are welcome to contact Comparus hilft e.V.. Donations or temporary loans of WIFI-enabled laptops or tablets can also help the association to enable further refugee students to attend their classes.