Media Center Ukraine Producer Department

Before the war, Bohdan’s company in Poltava produced ice cream and frozen foods, such as traditional Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and syrnyky (cheese pancakes). He had never cooked hot meals or worked in public catering. That all changed in February 2022, when families fleeing the war began arriving in Poltava. Bohdan posted a simple message on social media: “We know how to cook. If anyone needs help, we are ready.”

His company began cooking hot meals with leftover frozen ingredients and distributing them to those in need. Soon, Bohdan had to sell freezers and a delivery van to pay for ingredients and continue feeding people escaping the war. “I was a few days away from shutting down,” he says. “We had no money left, but people still had to eat.” It was then that he learned about World Central Kitchen (WCK).

With their support, Bohdan was able to cook up to 5,000 hot lunches a day and develop a delivery system. His team delivered food to schools, dormitories, and shelters across Poltava. Since 2022, they have prepared over 427,000 meals in partnership with WCK.

What began as emergency food relief has since evolved into Poltavski Pundyky, a food company built on the values WCK tapped into — dignity, care, speed, and community. Today, his team runs five dining spaces across the city. They also still deliver hundreds of free meals daily to those affected by the war. Many employees are internally displaced persons who first came to Poltava after russia’s full-scale invasion. Bohdan’s business is a key emergency partner for WCK and is ready to cook hot meals in the aftermath of missile strikes or other emergencies.

Journalists can speak with Bohdan in Poltava or online, by prior arrangement. Representatives of World Central Kitchen are also available for communication.

• food
• volunteers
• Poltava

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.

The war has transformed the childhood and adolescence of Ukrainian children into a state of constant turbulence. Displacement, loss, isolation, remote learning, anxiety, lack of community, and information overload have become the new normal for a generation that is still learning to understand itself.

Under these circumstances, having a supportive and safe space nearby is especially crucial — one that does not stigmatize their experiences or demand that they “cope on their own”. Kyiv’s “Place of Power” is precisely that: a transformative space for teenagers aged 10–17 affected by the war.

“Place of Power” is a three-story haven offering support, development, and recovery to teenagers from Kyiv and its suburbs who have experienced trauma.

Here, they can:

• understand their emotional states;
• find support from adults who know how to listen;
• relieve stress and anxiety;
• restore psycho-emotional development disrupted by the war; 
• find a community that accepts them;
• explore themselves through creativity, interaction, and new formats.

The space features a large workshop hall, an art zone titled “Creativity — The Antidote to Stress,” a therapeutic room with a “No Adults Allowed” policy, a well-equipped shelter, and constant access to light and electricity.

In less than two years of operation, more than 32,000 teenagers have visited the space. More than 10,000 hours of therapeutic and restorative activities have taken place, and over 4,000 events have been held to relieve tension, provide new experiences, and help young people rediscover themselves.

Journalists are invited to visit the space by prior arrangement and speak with visitors and organizers.

Background: “Place of Power” is a project of the Charitable Foundation “Dobrodiy Club”, which has been operating since 2014. The foundation’s mission is to foster a resilient and capable generation of young Ukrainians who will have the resources necessary for leading full lives and developing the country.

• children
• Kyiv

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.

The media are invited to a festive STEM science festival for schoolchildren on December 5, St. Nicholas Day, at an underground school in the Odesa oblast.

Since 2022, the savED Foundation has been restoring war-affected communities through educational and social projects. These projects include building underground schools, educational centers, STEM platforms, and programs that address youth engagement and  educational setbacks.

In the Odesa oblast, in partnership with the European Union and the Government of Lithuania, the foundation is implementing a program to overcome educational setbacks in a lyceum that currently operates underground.

As part of this initiative, the foundation is organizing a St. Nicholas Day celebration for children in the form of a STEM festival. Children will be able to engage with robotics, chemistry, biotechnology, art, and physics experiments at eight interactive laboratory stations. The foundation hopes to spark students’ interest in science and STEM programs through this event to help them recover from educational setbacks.

The holiday celebration will also be attended by students’ parents, educators, and foundation representatives.

• children
• Odesa

If you are interested in this topic, you can obtain the subjects’ contacts from the Producer Department of Media Center Ukraine.