© KEYSTONE/PETER SCHNEIDER
Twenty-three Ukrainian orphans from the Lviv region arrived in Kandersteg (BE) on Sunday. They will be accommodated until the summer in the international scout center. Other orphans should come to Switzerland.
The trip from Poland to Switzerland took regarding 22 hours. The children asked a lot of questions when they arrived, National Councilor Hans-Peter Portmann (PLR/ZH) told Keystone-ATS on Sunday. They should be schooled following Easter.
This is the first group of Ridni Foundation orphans to arrive in Switzerland, Portmann said. A second or even a third group might still come from Poland. It is difficult to obtain exit permits from Ukraine, he explained.
So far, 140 Ukrainian orphans are accommodated in Poland in a safe place. Other countries have offered to host these children.
In the Bernese Jura
Ten days ago, the canton of Bern, the commune of Petit-Val and the committee of the Center of Sornetan indicated that the center of Sornetan would open its doors to 70 children from a Ukrainian home. They would be accompanied by 20 to 30 adults from Ukraine who would look following them. The date of their arrival is not yet known.
The Center of Sornetan belongs to the Reformed parishes of the region. Place of meeting and training, it ceased its activity at the end of 2020 and has since been on sale.
