Themes by tag: children

The 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference on Pediatric Palliative Care, “Butterflies of Hope”, will be held in Chernivtsi at the “City of Goodness” on August 15-16.

The event will bring together leading experts from Ukraine and Europe to discuss the lives of children with severe and incurable diagnoses who fight daily for their right to an adequate childhood.

The conference will feature specialists in pediatric neurology, anesthesiology, palliative pediatrics, physical therapy, transportation of children with palliative needs, and outpatient care. Discussions will also focus on upholding the rights of palliative children, respecting their dignity, and ensuring their safety in challenging life circumstances.

Background: The “House of Butterflies” medical center is part of the “City of Goodness” — a unique space where children with incurable illnesses receive not only medical care but also comprehensive support, including psychological, rehabilitative, educational, and daily living assistance. The mission of the “City of Goodness” is to create a large-scale safe space offering holistic support to women and children facing difficult life circumstances. This includes helping children displaced by war, families affected by violence, and children in need of palliative care or rehabilitation.

• children
• Chernivtsi

The Terentiev family lived a normal life in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, until March 16, 2022, when a russian shelling attack claimed the life of Dmytro’s mother, Tetiana. Moments earlier, she had left her son in the care of her mother, Mariia, intending to return shortly after collecting a few belongings. She never came back.

Mariia became Dmytro’s guardian. Together, they fled the besieged city and, months later, returned to begin rebuilding their damaged home and resuming daily life.

In early 2023, Dmytro’s father, Roman, enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. By June, he was reported missing in action. A photograph later appeared on a russian website, showing a man with visible bruises, identified as Roman, in captivity. 

Today, Mariia says her attention is focused entirely on her grandson. Dmytro is a capable and inquisitive student with strong skills in mathematics and computer science. He plays the piano, looks after his collection of cacti, and aspires to create content as a YouTuber. Above all, he hopes for peace and the chance to see his father again.

Interviews with Dmytro in Chernihiv can be arranged in advance.

For reference: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation is currently supporting the family. The organization assists children who have lost one or both parents due to russia’s full-scale invasion by providing financial aid, psychological and legal support, and resources for education and personal development until they reach adulthood.

• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Chernihiv

Volodymyr Dubrovets, a soldier from Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region and former Azov Regiment fighter with the call sign “Wolf,” became the legal guardian of his brother’s eight children following a fatal car accident in December 2022.

The children’s parents died when their vehicle veered off a forest road and struck a mine. The explosion killed both adults, leaving behind eight children. At the time, the eldest was 14 years old; the youngest, a two-and-a-half-month-old infant.

Volodymyr, who was 24 at the time and unmarried, had not planned to raise a large family. After assuming custody of his nieces and nephews, he later married. He and his wife Diana are now also raising a young son together. The entire family lives in the house built by Volodymyr’s late brother.

Looking ahead, Dubrovets plans to revive his brother’s business. 

He is available for interviews both online and in person in the Zhytomyr region, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• Zhytomyr

Kateryna Iorhu is 16 years old. At the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, she and her family wanted to leave the Donetsk oblast for Vinnytsia, as their hometown of Druzhkivka had become unsafe. On April 8, 2022, Kateryna, her mother, and her younger sister travelled to the Kramatorsk railway station to wait for an evacuation train. That day, the russians struck the station with a “Tochka-U” missile, targeting civilians. The attack killed 61 people and injured 121. 

Kateryna’s mother was killed instantly in the blast. Kateryna herself miraculously survived because a man, whose name she never learned, threw himself over her, absorbing the shrapnel and blast impact. He died, but his selfless act ensured the young girl’s survival. Kateryna suffered severe shrapnel wounds to both legs and still faces immense challenges walking, requiring ongoing rehabilitation and medical support.

Journalists may interview Kateryna in Kyiv by prior agreement.

Background: The Children of Heroes charitable foundation supports children who have lost one or both parents due to the war. The foundation provides immediate, personalized assistance, including humanitarian aid, psychological and medical support, and educational and developmental opportunities for children until they reach adulthood.

• casualties
• children
• dead
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation is now accepting applications for new summer sessions of the “Voices Camp” for teenagers aged 10–15. This two-week retreat in a picturesque mountain setting offers children a chance to relax among peers, receive psychological support, and participate in team-building activities and creative workshops.

Registration is currently open for the final sessions of this summer:

Session 5: August 8–22

Session 6: August 24–September 6

The camp will be held in Chernivtsi oblast. Priority is given to children of military personnel, those affected by russian armed aggression, and residents of frontline areas. Participation is free of charge.

Journalists may arrange to speak with the organizers and, if possible, with children attending the camp, by prior agreement.

• casualties
• children

Artem Yakovlev is both a serviceman and president of the Kherson regional club of traditional Okinawan Goju-ryu karate-do.

He signed a contract with the Defense Forces even before the full-scale invasion, inspired after one of his students enlisted. 

Artem first saw combat in Donetsk oblast. Meanwhile, his karate club became a shelter for locals during occupation. Among those hiding there were eight conscripts from the Skadovsk garrison. Artem’s wife convinced russian occupiers they were merely athletes.

After Kherson’s liberation in fall 2023, Artem resumed training. He now teaches 18 students, holding sessions twice weekly – though he always confirms availability, as military duty sometimes interrupts.

You can contact Artem Yakovlev online or in-person in Kherson by prior arrangement.

• children
• military
• occupation
• Kherson

Oksana Jackson, a leading plastic surgeon from the United States and a Ukrainian American, is returning to Ukraine for the fourth time since russia’s large-scale military offensive. She will offer free consultations and surgeries for children with facial anomalies, such as cleft lips, cleft palates, and other congenital or trauma-related conditions.

From July 20 to 27, Dr. Jackson will be working alongside her Iskra Global team and fellow American surgeon Nataliya Biskup at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Lviv.

Interviews with Dr. Jackson can be arranged in advance, either in person in Lviv or online.

• children
• Lviv

Ivan and Iryna Umansky are a couple from the Kherson oblast. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, the family was raising four biological children and a boy named Bohdan, whom they had taken under their guardianship. Bohdan was the first child they welcomed into their family. Undeterred by his medical diagnosis, the Umanskys decided to give the boy a chance at a full life.

When the war began, the couple was in their hometown of Kakhovka, which remains under russian occupation. They moved from their home to a friend’s house to look after it. In August 2022, the head of social services, who was still cooperating with Ukrainian authorities, contacted the couple and asked if they could take in two girls from an orphanage.

The family took a risk: aside from birth certificates, the girls had no other documents. Later, Ivan bought a seven-seater, and the family decided to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territory. They had to pass through twenty russian checkpoints, and the journey took three days. The Umanskys eventually reached the Kyiv oblast, where they initially stayed in a family support center. They later lived in an apartment provided to them free of charge. In April 2024, they moved into a new house built as part of the “Address of Childhood” project by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska’s Foundation. Today, Ivan and Iryna are raising ten children and have the status of a large foster family.

Journalists can speak with Ivan and Iryna Umansky online or in person by prior arrangement.

• children
• occupation
• Kyiv

On June 12, Kyiv will host a screening of Generation, a film by director Marisa Nikitiuk and the Voices of Children Foundation, followed by a discussion exploring the lives of a generation shaped by war. The event is titled “A Generation Growing Up in War: What Challenges Do Children Face Today and How Can We Support Them?”

Generation is a collaborative project between Nikitiuk and the Voices of Children Foundation that seeks to view the war through the eyes of its youngest witnesses and give them a voice to share their experiences. The film was created with 14 teenagers who faced evacuation, forced relocation within Ukraine and abroad, the loss of social connections, and the struggle to adapt to unfamiliar surroundings, all while enduring life under russian occupation or on the frontlines.

Over five months, the teens participated in the “Storytelling in Film with Elements of Art Therapy” lab, working alongside a psychologist and learning scriptwriting under Nikitiuk’s guidance. Through this process, they processed their experiences and transformed them into personal stories on screen.

Speakers:

– Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder and Chair of the Board of the Voices of Children Foundation;

– Marysia Nikitiuk, screenwriter and director;

– Children featured in the film Generation. 

Moderator: Olha Birzul, journalist, editor, cultural manager, film program developer and curator, writer.

Organizers: NGO Docudays and the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation.

• casualties
• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, with the support and cooperation of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, is launching a camp program for children affected by the war. This is the second joint initiative aimed at supporting children aged 10 to 15 who have experienced the traumatic effects of war. It specifically targets children from internally displaced families, military families, and those living in frontline or de-occupied regions.

The 2025 season includes four sessions throughout the summer, each designed for 56 children. The first session of the Voices Camp started on June 5.

The Voices Camp includes four key areas:

• Creative activities: workshops in drawing, music, theater, and other arts;
• Sports: team competitions, quests, and active outdoor games;
• Psychological training:  workshops in self-awareness, emotional intelligence development, and psychological resilience;
• Intellectual training: financial simulations, intellectual games, and thematic quests.

• casualties
• children