„Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Community e.V.“

In the small village Pidkamin in the Lviv Region, in the ancient monastery of the 17-th century the psychoneurological boarding school Pidkamin is located.

Since the beginning of 2000s, the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.” headed by Professor Dr. Heinrich Benner has taken this institution under its care, which currently houses more than 160 residents with various mental health disorders, which has been headed by the director -  Mychailo Tschumak for many years.

With the support of German partners, the necessary food products, hygiene products, etc. are purchased every six months.

Separately, it should be noted the work carried out with the financing of a German charity organization regarding the capital renovation of the rooms of supported stay and socialization of residents of the boarding school. The complete restoration of the kitchen unit and ventilation systems according to German standards, the reconstruction of shower and sanitary facilities (only the total cost of a steam-convection device for cooking and a large freezer of a German manufacturer is more than 15,000 Euro!) and much more…

Comfortable conditions have been created both for the stay of boarding school wards and for work of the institution’s service staff.

The project of support by the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.”, of the psychoneurological boarding school Pidkamin

Letters of thanks and awards to Professor Doctor Heinrich Benner and his team for

their tireless commitment from various social and medical institutions, charitable

organizations and military units of Ukraine.

Letters of thanks and awards

Grateful recipients of humanitarian aid, namely:

The regional military administrations of Kyiv, Lviv, Kherson, Ivano-Frankivsk, charitable organizations and clubs, specialized medical institutions and military units and formations are grateful for the help and support of the head of the Association, Professor Doctor Heinrich Benner and the whole “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.” team. 

Grateful recipients of humanitarian aid

For the past 32 years, the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.” has been implementing and financing a support project of the special boarding school of I-III grades with advanced professional study, located in the village Pidkamin, Zolochiv district, Lviv region, Ukraine.

From this school, the long-term head of which is Mr. Bohdan Ukrainets, the cooperation of the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.” headed by the Professor Dr. Heinrich Benner with Ukraine began in 1992, namely with a Christmas letter from Ukrainian children to Germany. 

Every year the pupils of the boarding school receive New Year’s gifts from German friends, the charitable organization has been fully financing the purchase of necessary food products and study equipment for the pupils of the boarding school, repair work and improvement of the school for more than 30 years.

The project of support by the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.”, of the boarding school for children with hearing impairments in the village Pidkamin, Lviv Region, Ukraine

Since 2008, thanks to the initiative of the chairman of the German charitable “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.”, Prof. Dr. Heinrich Benner, in the partner city Brody, in the region Lviv, a charity St. Lawrence canteen has been established. There can get their hot meals more than 150 needy people of the city and surroundings, approx. 50 of which are school-age children from low-income families. 

Volunteers and social service workers deliver meals from the canteen to the needy seniors or people with limited mobility.

Every 6 month, the St. Lawrence Association buys all the necessary food products for the canteen, pays monthly wages to 3 qualified cooks who prepare delicious hot meals for the needy of the city and the surrounding area, and also covers all the costs associated with providing the canteen with energy carriers. Fresh products are purchased daily, such as: bread, eggs, sour cream, milk, vegetables and fruits, etc.

During the years 2020-2023, thanks to German benefactors, the roof, electrical wiring and floor were completely replaced in the dining room. The German partners also took care of the convenience of the guests in dining room and personally delivered a set of furniture consisting of 50 new chairs and 20 tables, as well as new equipment for the kitchen.

The project of creating a charity canteen in the city Brody, Lviv region

Professor Dr. Heinrich Benner also did not forget about the beautification of the castle park in the partner city Brody, in the Lviv region. On the territory of which the charitable St. Lawrence canteen is located.  With the funds of the German organization, the restoration of the authentic city water well and the gazebo above it, the history of which dates back to the Middle Ages, the installation of lanterns and benches for visitors to the park and the charity canteen, and the landscaping of the square were carried out.

Landscaping of the castle park in Brody, Lviv region

Before the beginning of the full-scale invasion of russian aggressor to Ukraine, the German charitable organization delivered more than 13,000 tons of humanitarian goods to Ukraine for health care facilities, boarding schools, social and charitable organizations and foundations, and simply for the needy population.

Once every 6 month, Professor Doctor Heinrich Benner and his team personally delivered humanitarian goods to partner cities, namely: Lutsk and Volodymyr-Volynksyi – region Volyn, Brody and Pidkamin – region Lviv, etc.  

Since February 24, 2022, the amount of the assistance has increased many times.

Since March 2022, in cooperation with Professor Ihor Kotsan a transit platform in Polish village Garbow near Lublin was created. Through this platform hundreds of tons of necessary goods were transshipped to Ukraine for forcibly resettled persons, affected by the russian military aggression, for the State Border Guard, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, etc. 

The main cargoes were: food products, hygiene items, disinfectants, medicines and medical equipment, clothes, shoes, children’s toys, diapers and many other essential items. 

Creation of the logistics platform in the Polish city of Lublin

Since July 2022, thanks to the professor of the Metallurgical Academy in the polish city Krakow, Kotsan Ihor Yaroslavovych, and the vice-rector of the academy, Prof. Dariusz Sala, in cooperation with the academy began supporting of Ukrainian students and universities that were forced to relocate to the western regions of Ukraine. The support is provided in the form of provision of necessary things for student dormitories, provision of educational and material base of universities that accepted resettled students.

Charity Platform on the basis of the AGH Krakow Academy

Since the end of 2022, a logistics platform has been opened in the city Rzeszów, in Poland, which is close to the Polish-Ukrainian border and improves the efficiency of the transfer of humanitarian goods to Ukraine.

Almost every month, Heinrich Benner and his faithful team of the “Help Ukraine Breitscheid St. Lawrence Association e.V.” deliver at least 5 trucks to Rzeszów, which is about 80 tons of the most necessary humanitarian goods. Thanks to the coordinated work of the platform manager Viktor Maksymiv, the official representative in Poland Professor Ihor Kotsan and the official coordinator of the organization’s activities in Ukraine Vasyl Petruk, these goods are quickly unloaded, sorted, reloaded and sent to Ukraine according to needs and requests.

Humanitarian goods through the established logistic platform in the Polish border city Rzeszów

In November 2023, another large delivery was realized to the transit warehouse in the polish city Rzeszów. Approx. 80 tons of goods, namely: food, clothing, bedding, wheelchairs, school and office furniture, and most importantly – over 6,500 pairs of reinforced specialized shoes (for a total amount of more than 500 000 euros!). All these goods were reloaded and delivered for the needs of the Ukrainian civilian population who found themselves in difficult life circumstances and also partly for the Ukrainian defenders.

Large delivery of the humanitarian goods to Rzeszów on 19. November 2023

The last delivery in 2023 to the city Rzeszów in Poland.
A large number of humanitarian goods for the needy in Ukraine have been brought again.
In particular, another 80 new gasoline generators were delivered (the total number of them since March 2023 was more than 500!)
Also, 30 new gas stoves were delivered for the needs of civilian population and also a part for the military.