STA, 6 March 2022 - Ninety-five young Ukrainian musicians fleeing war in their country are expected to arrive in Slovenia on Sunday, while the Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants is seeking new facilities to accommodate a growing number of refugees from Ukraine.
The Slovenian Youth Orchestra, which brings together musicians aged 12 to 22, said on Saturday it had responded to a call for help by the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine.
The first 95 young musicians are thus expected in Slovenia today in an operation supported by the city of Ljubljana, food company Perutnina Ptuj and the Foreign Ministry.
The city is helping out with transport and accommodation, the ministry has offered logistical and administrative support, and Perutnina Ptuj, which is in Ukrainian ownership, will contribute food and financial aid. The refugees will be first accommodated at hostels and then placed with families or volunteers.
The Slovenian Youth Orchestra and its artistic director Živa Ploj Peršuh plan to organise a camp and other activities in Ljubljana for the refugee musicians to practice and play with their Slovenian peers.
The Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants has meanwhile published a public call to secure more accommodation facilities for Ukrainian refugees.
Legal persons that can offer facilities with at least 20 beds can respond to the call, which is open until Tuesday at 9am.
First refugees from Ukraine arrived in Slovenia soon after Russia invaded its western neighbour.
Eighty-five refugees are at an accommodation centre in Logatec, south-west of Ljubljana, while some have also been accommodated by their relatives or friends.
