Advocates urge ongoing support for children in residential care, not just holiday gifts

As the winter holidays approach, visits to Ukraine’s residential institutions for children traditionally rise, with companies, volunteer groups, and community organizations delivering gifts and staging festive programs. However, people who grew up in these facilities warn that such one-off events can leave children feeling more like props on a stage rather than genuine participants.

That concern was voiced at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine by Maksym Rabtsun, a member of the DIiMO Children and Youth Office and an advocate with firsthand experience in institutional care.

“Kids in children’s homes always get plenty of sweets from charity groups during the holidays, but once everyone leaves, they’re on their own – without attention or support,” Rabtsun said. “When we talk about real help, I don’t think about the gifts. I think about the people who came back regularly. Those relationships mattered, and I waited for those people in particular.”

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news