Get to Know Each Other and Help: Munster Invites Vinnytsia Residents to Join the Project "How Are You, Vinnytsia?"

The life-acquaintance "How are you, Vinnytsia?" was initiated by German artist Thomas Nufer. He already implemented a similar campaign in 2021 with Rishon LeZion in Israel.

On February 24, from 09:00 to 18:00, he asks Vinnytsia residents to send a photo or short video to yak.ty.vin@gmail.com that can capture their life, feelings, or thoughts on this day.

"In recent years, I have been focusing more and more on telling stories about complex topics, particularly from the social sphere. After the end of the Yugoslav war, I wrote and directed a musical called Sarajevo Love about the almost four-year siege of the city of Sarajevo. Twenty-five years have passed since then. Now there is war in Europe again. It is close to my heart to help people. I really hope that the recordings from Vinnytsia will start a lively dialog between the residents of both cities. Because who knows people in Vinnytsia, who knows how they live, how they feel? The recordings are like a door. On February 24, 2023, we will be very close!" said Thomas Nufer.

All submitted images will be published on the official city website of the project www.winnytsia.life. The images will be available to the residents of Munster. They will donate for each participant in this project.

"Funds for the campaign will be raised by businesses and residents of Munster. They will send 10 euros for each photo. Each Vinnytsia resident can send up to 3 photos or one short video. For the funds raised, we will purchase and transfer medical equipment for wound healing to one of the Vinnytsia hospitals," says Christiane Lösel, head of the Department for International Cooperation of Munster City Council.

The Ukrainian Union of Munster helps the German city hall and Thomas Nufer communicate with Vinnytsia. Cooperation between Vinnytsia and Munster began last year. The German side offered Vinnytsia a partnership to get closer and be able to provide more effective and relevant assistance to our city, says Halyna Yakubovych, Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia.

"Munster has already handed over humanitarian aid to Vinnytsia worth about 105 thousand euros. This includes 24 pallets with 5 different types of stew, four modular kitchens, kitchen equipment, utensils, and 5 generators. In the near future, a delegation from Vinnytsia City Council will travel to Munster. The Vinnytsia-Munster partnership agreement will be signed there. A joint declaration of the cities of Munster and Lublin will be signed separately. Thus, we will have a trilateral partnership," adds Halyna Yakubovych.

The partnership between the cities is planned to last for the duration of the full-scale war in Ukraine and for another 5 years after its end and Ukraine's victory, explains Nazar Kovalenko, director of the Urban Development Institute.

"Munster declares its readiness to provide humanitarian aid for Vinnytsia and transport it to Lublin. Lublin agrees to facilitate the transportation of humanitarian goods to Vinnytsia by covering fuel costs," adds Nazar Kovalenko.