Two men in black work clothes are standing in front of a white Bobcat compact loader and shaking hands.

    Twin town
         How the German town of Wandlitz and the Ukrainian town of Makariv are supporting one another

    Since May 2022, Wandlitz has been supporting its partner municipality, Makariv, in rebuilding critical infrastructure – and now Wandlitz is also benefiting from the exchange of knowledge, including ideas for ways that a German municipality can become more crisis-resilient.

    Makariv, a small town near Bucha, was occupied for 30 days when Russia’s war of aggression was first launched. Consequently, the initial focus was on emergency aid: Wandlitz supplied generators and emergency vehicles for the fire brigade. This was followed by further measures, including the provision of construction machinery and solar power systems to secure the water supply and wastewater management. Ever since the start of the partnership, the Mayor of Wandlitz has been delivering the aid supplies to the partner community in person. Together with a volunteer from his community, he has now made the trip six times.

    The collaboration goes beyond material assistance. Experts from Wandlitz are helping Makariv to establish an effective waste management system. And the German partners are also benefiting from the joint project: they can use the lessons learnt from Ukraine to improve their own crisis preparedness and make their infrastructure more resilient.

    The municipal partnership between Wandlitz and Makariv is funded by the BMZ and is supported via Engagement Global’s Service Agency Communities in One World and GIZ.

    A man uses a ratchet to tighten a strap around a tarp-covered load on a red vehicle.
    We can learn from the people in Ukraine how to cope with extremely difficult situations. We’ve looked at them to learn what we can do to prepare ourselves for possible disaster scenarios. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a war. We are identifying infrastructure in our town that is particularly at risk and groups of people who especially need protection. And we are now drawing up plans for how to protect them better.
    Oliver Borchert, Mayor of Wandlitz

    As at: 04/05/2026