Themes by tag: children
Pylyp Dukhlii, a military veteran of the russia-Ukraine war, has established a private school where apart from receiving a general education, students also delve into programming, robotics, and 2D and 3D modeling.
Following the events of February 24, 2022, Dukhlii relocated his family to the West and joined the Defense Forces. His responsibilities included coordinating communication between positions. As a multiple life-or-death situations survivor, Dukhlii faced throughout his service, he, in what he describes, have accumulated four new “second birthdays.”
Upon his discharge, Dukhlii returned to Kyiv to continue developing his school. Now, high school students there are engaged in assembling FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This hands-on experience allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting. The school boasts a modern workshop equipped with tools for designing, modeling, and soldering, as well as a laser cutter and a 3D printer. The drones built by these students can carry up to two kilograms, travel at least five kilometers, and remain airborne for over twenty minutes.
“Place of Strength,” a free space for supporting children and teenagers who suffered from the war, works in Kyiv. This is a project of the “Dobrodiy Club” charitable foundation.
The space has 3 floors and an equipped shelter. There are separate zones for creative activities, lectures, training and sessions with a psychologist. So, for example, various creative master classes and art therapy classes (ranging from drawing and compositing to creating affirmation paintings) are held in the art zone. Among other things, the space has an interactive theater, a film club, reading and discussion clubs. Famous guests are invited to certain events.
In total, within 5 months of operation, the space opened its doors to 5,400 visitors with more than 600 different events taking place during this time.
By prior agreement, journalists can visit the space and talk with visitors and organizers.
For reference: June 1 marks International Children’s Day in Ukraine. The Prosecutor General’s Office reports that more than 1,899 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of russia’s full-scale armed aggression. According to juvenile prosecutors’ reports, 548 children died and more than 1,351 received injuries of various degrees of severity as of the morning of May 27, 2024.
The “TOY THERAPY ROOM” stands as a nationwide charitable initiative established by a collective within the NGO The National Genofund amidst the full-scale invasion. Its primary aim is to mitigate the trauma endured by both children and adults impacted by Russia’s invasion, achieved through the application of puppetry and play therapy techniques.
The TOY THERAPY ROOM offers a carefully designed environment where children and adults can navigate their emotions in a healthy and supportive manner. Within these spaces, carefully curated by dedicated hosts, individuals can explore their feelings, replenish their inner strength, and nurture a sense of confidence in their own abilities and desires. Central to the experience are the hundreds of soft toys that inhabit each room. These toys serve not only as companions but also as conduits for understanding and healing. Participants are encouraged to select a toy at the outset of their session, which then becomes a steadfast ally throughout their journey. Beyond the confines of the therapy room, this toy becomes a transitional object through which psychologists gain insights into the person’s condition and provide assistance.
Today, the TOY THERAPY ROOM initiative boasts over 70 locations across Ukraine, extending its reach even beyond national borders to countries like Germany and Bulgaria. Spearheaded by Victoriia Nazarevich, a seasoned psychologist and the driving force behind the Nazarevich-Art psychology training portal, the project maintains a team of dedicated professionals comprising psychologists and art therapists.
For journalists seeking insight into this transformative endeavor, opportunities for interviews with project representatives and participants are available in Kyiv and other cities by prior arrangement. Additionally, online communication channels offer convenient access for those unable to attend in person.
The Grandma’s Hares project was launched three years ago by the Nasha Peremoga (Our Victory) Charitable Fund, which supports the elderly. This initiative aims to foster intergenerational communication by having participants, aged 60 and older, create hares from socks following a specific pattern. These soft toys are given to children in stressful situations, those who have suffered violence, or witnessed traumatic events. Police officers use these comforting toys to establish contact with or calm the children. For instance, the first doll hare was given to a young child who got lost and was found by the juvenile police.
Since the outbreak of the full-blown war, these toy hares have aided police officers in working with children affected by the warfare, including those who have lost parents or endured occupation. They are also distributed to children in shelters and hospitals. Additionally, hares in reflective vests have been used to teach preschoolers about traffic rules. During the winter blackouts, they provided comfort at the Points of Invincibility.
In May 2023, the elderly women crafted a special batch of brightly colored hares at the request of the White Angel unit of the National Police of Ukraine, which is responsible for evacuating children from the war zone.
Since the project’s inception, volunteer craftswomen from Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions have produced over 1,000 handmade doll hares, which have been distributed to the police. These toys are now used by Ukraine’s Juvenile Police across 19 regions and by the White Angel evacuation teams.
Journalists can arrange interviews with the project participants and organizers in Kyiv or other cities, and online communication is also available.
For reference: The practice of distributing Trauma Teddies to police is common in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Originally slated to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Mariupol in 2022, the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art School faced a setback due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The institution’s building suffered significant damage, including the destruction of equipment, prompting a relocation to Lviv in April 2022.
Despite the upheaval, the school has resumed operations at its new location, welcoming 40 children for both in-person and online fine arts classes. These students, hailing from Mariupol but dispersed across Ukraine and beyond. Moreover, adults are finding solace and expression through art therapy sessions offered in Lviv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Dnipro. These sessions include oil painting sessions and the exploration of traditional Ukrainian murals. Additionally, the art school remains active in organizing various exhibitions.
For reference: The battle for Mariupol raged on for 86 harrowing days until May 20, 2022, when russian forces seized control of the city. Human Rights Watch’s grim assessment puts the civilian death toll from russian shelling at a staggering 8,000, with thousands more left maimed and traumatized. Many suffered life-altering injuries, including loss of limbs, sight, hearing, or memory, often due to traumatic brain injuries inflicted by relentless explosions. By mid-May 2022, an estimated 400,000 residents, out of a pre-war population of 540,000, had fled Mariupol in search of safety.
Alona Kyryliuk is from Kharkiv region, and she currently lives in Poltava region. She is the mother of two children: 11-year-old Anastasiia and Timur, who is only one year old. The woman is a military officer.
Alona’s husband, Denys, is a lieutenant colonel, a fighter pilot (Deputy Squadron Commander, Squadron Flight Navigator). The man was called to duty on the night of February 23-24, 2022. He asked his wife to stay at home with the daughter. Later, Alona heard the first explosions.
Denis flew over 80 sorties. He was awarded the Order “For Courage” of the third class, as well as the “Firearms” award of the Ministry of Defense. The man died on March 27, 2023 while performing a combat mission. The enemy shot down his plane over Chernihiv region. The pilot was taking the plane away from a settlement and did not have time to eject.
By prior agreement, journalists can talk to Alona Kyryliuk in Poltava region or in Kyiv.
For reference: Currently, the family is being cared for by the Children of Heroes Charity Fund. It helps children who lost one or both parents as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion. The fund provides financial assistance, psychological and legal support, and helps with the education and development of children until they reach adulthood.
On April 27, the “Strong 300” fun run obstacle course will be held in Kyiv to support war veterans, wounded soldiers and facilitate patriotic education of youth.
The purpose of the event is to popularize the benefits of sports and give children the opportunity to communicate directly with those who went through combat at the front via the unique “veteran + child” race format. It is also supposed to have a therapeutic effect on veterans and wounded soldiers.
Categories and distances:
- Individual race for adults/children, 1 km;
- Individual race for adults/children, 5 km;
- Pair race for adult + child, 3 km.
Each of the registered participants will receive a “STRONG 300” commemorative medal. To participate in the race, it is necessary to pay a charity contribution, the collected funds will be used to purchase sports equipment for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and veterans.
Various activities are also planned during the event (artifacts of war exhibition, disassembly/assembly of various types of (dummy) weapons, master classes on tactical medicine basics, etc.).
The future Mykolaiv School No. 48 will become one of the most modern educational institutions in the south of Ukraine. Before the war, 690 children had studied here, and after the reconstruction, its capacity will double to 1,326 students. According to the architects, the top priorities of the team working on the project were energy efficiency, a human-centered approach and the ergonomic design.
The territory of the new school is to be 17,500 square meters, and its building is designed for 49 classrooms. The premises will also have 3 open classrooms in gazebos with solar panels for conducting master classes in the open air, a greenhouse for growing plants and recreation areas for junior and senior schoolchildren. The architects also plan to add solar thermal collectors and heat pumps. The school will have a well functioning as its water source. Laboratories, conference halls and workshops, as well as several gyms, a museum of local history and a museum of military and patriotic education are all part of the school building design. The school will have a shelter with control and engineering rooms, bathrooms and inclusive infrastructure.
All this will become possible if the city manages to collect the necessary funds. Therefore, the National Union of Architects of Ukraine brokered the signing of a memorandum between the Mykolaiv City Council and the American Sweetanok Foundation. Sweetanok raises funds for the Ukrainian front, but the management and employees of the foundation have always dreamed of the opportunity to help children.
In the early days of the all-out war, russian forces seized control of Krasiatychi village in the Kyiv region, where Nadiia Smyrnova resided. Nadiia, alongside her mother and 9-year-old son Sashko, remained in the village. The invaders ransacked their home, even attempting to detonate a grenade, putting the family’s lives at risk. Sashko’s grandmother bravely intervened, shielding her loved ones from harm, despite facing the barrel of russian machine guns. Surviving nearly a month under occupation, the ordeal left a lasting impact on Sashko, who vividly recalls the harrowing experiences shared with his mother and grandmother.
At the onset of the full-blown war, Sashko’s father voluntarily served in defense of Ukraine. Tragically, on August 29, 2022, he fell victim to a russian mine in the Donetsk region. Now, the family receives support from the Children of Heroes charity foundation.
Journalists seeking to interview Nadiia in the Kyiv region must arrange it in advance.
For reference: As of April 2, 2022, the Kyiv region has been completely liberated from russian occupation.
Children of Heroes Charity Fund aids youngsters who’ve lost one or both parents due to russia’s large-scale invasion, offering financial aid, psychological and legal assistance, and fostering their educational and personal growth until adulthood.
Oleh, Yaroslav, Hlib, and their grandmother Oleksandra left their native village of Hnutove, which was one of the first settlements to experience the horror of a full-scale Russian offensive. Seeking salvation, the family went to Mariupol, but later it was besieged by Russians. Later, there was no electricity, gas, water, or service. The children and their grandmother had to survive literally. They stayed in the basement for two months. They managed to escape the occupation in their native village by being subjected to filtration in the notorious camp system. Thanks to donors, the Voices of Children Charity Foundation bought a house for a family in the Kyiv region.
In 2017, Oleh became the protagonist of the Danish director’s documentary The Distant Barking of Dogs, which told the story of Ukrainians on the front line that was shortlisted among 15 candidates for the 2019 Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature.
