The Dresden Press Club has awarded its Erich Kästner Prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, to Natalija Bock. Born in the Ukraine, she has lived with her family in Dresden for 26 years and has been a focal point for war refugees since the Russian war of aggression on her old homeland. She organized the reception of people in private apartments, arranged daycare and jobs and acted as an interface to local and state politics. She is also a co-founder of the Ukrainian Coordination Center and the Ukrainian House Dresden.
"Natalija Bock has become a role model for many people, also because she represents clear values and finds clear words at a time when some people prefer to remain unclear, as the public debate in Saxony shows time and again," explained Press Club Chairman Tobias Wolf. The prizewinner sees the award as more than just a personal accolade and recalled the willingness of thousands of people in Saxony to help. "This is a prize for an empathetic, cosmopolitan and helpful Saxony that needs to be preserved. Thank you."
