An initiative helps survivors of the totalitarian regime

Doing shopping for seniors, collecting their medicine, walking their dogs and providing them support via phone is how the Post Bellum civic association is helping seniors threatened by the coronavirus.

They kicked off the We Don’t Forget You initiative, setting up a special website and free phone line. The website also contains email addresses seniors can contact when searching for help.

The focus is primarily on the contemporaries whose stories were documented within the Stories of the 20th Century project, Post Bellum said.

“Many of these people risked their lives on WWII frontlines or suffered in concentration camps or communist labour camps,” said Sandra Polovková, head of Post Bellum. “They decided to deploy their lives for others and fight for freedom. Now, it’s time we care for them.”

Financial and material help

The initiative was launched on March 25, on the 78th anniversary of the first transport of girls from Slovakia to Auschwitz at the entrance of the Ohel David retirement home, where mostly Holocast survivors live. One of the clients is the only woman from the very first transport from Poprad who survived.

The organisation gave 100 masks to the head of the retirement home.

Apart from organising volunteers to help seniors secure basic needs like groceries or collect their medications from pharmacies, the organisation is also encouraging the elderly to join the project, within which they can share their memories with younger generations by phone.

Both seniors and volunteers can register on the website. Moreover, people can also contribute financially and materially to help the seniors. The money will be used to purchase protection and disinfection equipment for both seniors and volunteers.