Themes by tag: children
A social project in support of Ukrainian defenders has been operating in Lviv and Ternopil, since the beginning of the full-scale war. The project makes it possible for couples to undergo a free infertility treatment program, as well as to cryopreserve (freeze) their biological material (sperm and eggs).
Journalists have the opportunity to learn more about this project by talking to the doctor of medical sciences, reproductive endocrinologist Stefan Khmil. And, if possible, with couples who used the services provided by the initiative.
On July 5, media representatives are invited to the opening night of the inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities entitled “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” performed by the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. The event will take place on the territory of Okhmatdyt National Specialized Children’s Hospital. Young patients of the hospital will take a direct part in the play.
In “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” musical and theatrical art are combined using an interactive approach. The script is based on Ukrainian folklore. The performance will feature the works of Semen Hulak-Artemovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Levko Kolodub and Volodymyr Ptushkin, as well as Ukrainian folk melodies.
The program of the event includes: a briefing with the participation Volodymyr Zhovnir, General Director of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Herman Makarenko, Head of Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra, Olena Anopriienko, Chief Psychologist of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Vadym Myroshnychenko, Director and Playwright, and Nataliia Miiedinova, actress and gamemaster; the performance; interaction with participants and spectators of the performance.
The event requires accreditation.
For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
Oleksandra Knyha and her brother Andrii, hailing from the now-occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, have shown remarkable resilience and dedication. When Russian tanks entered Oleshky and Kherson at the beginning of the invasion, the siblings stayed to help their community. Oleksandra’s friends from abroad sent several trucks of humanitarian aid, which she and Andrii sorted, distributed, and handed out. However, as volunteers strongly involved in civic engagement began to be abducted, the pair had to relocate to Ukrainian-controlled territory
After the de-occupation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandra and Andrii returned to help rebuild the city. They organized creative workshops for children in shelters, addressing the urgent need for education and engagement amidst the destruction. This initiative led to the creation of the Kryla Foundation (KRYLA).
The foundation supports families on the right bank of the Dnipro River and carries out humanitarian missions in the town of Oleshky on the occupied left bank. The area suffered significant damage after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam. The foundation organizes events and holidays for children in the Kherson region and has arranged trips for Kherson children to camps in Poland and western Ukraine.
Currently, with the support of partners, they are developing a new project called Multispace “KRYLA” (WINGS). This shelter location provides Kherson residents with opportunities to socialize or learn new skills despite the ongoing security concerns.
Journalists can learn more and speak with Oleksandra and Andrii either offline or online.
For reference: Before the full-scale war, Oleksandra Knyha and her friends organized various events and transported supplies for children from an orphanage in Kakhovka. Since 2016, she has worked with children with mental disabilities, designing a collection of casual clothes featuring their drawings. Andrii managed a family business in Oleshky, developing green tourism at a local recreation center with his wife.
On June 14, a meeting with the organizers of the National Selection for Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform in Kyiv. During the event, Suspilne will present a songwriter and a director who will work on this year’s selection. The event will be moderated by Tymur Miroshnychenko, Ukraine’s National Selection for Eurovision commentator and host.
At the event, Svitlana Tarabarova, music producer of the National Selection and
Oksana Skybinska, Head of Delegation for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, will tell you everything you need to know about the innovations and participation criteria for this year’s National Selection. The participants include: Tetiana Kovryga, Director of the GoGlobal Educational Foundation, Oksana Pysarieva, a psychologist at the Voices of Children Foundation.
Pre-registration is required.
For reference: Suspilne has simplified the criteria for participation in the National Selection to make it even more accessible for young performers: it is not necessary for them to write their own songs. To take part in the competition and win the opportunity to represent Ukraine on the big stage of Junior Eurovision Song Contest – 2024 in Madrid, Spain, it is enough to record two covers of popular songs and a video introduction.
At the same time, young songwriters still have the opportunity to submit their own song for consideration if they wish. However, this option does not affect their chances of passing to the next stage of selection.
Applications for participation in the National Selection are accepted up until July 3 through the form on the website junior.eurovision.ua
Scheduled for June 14th in Kyiv, this event marks the grand inauguration of a physical rehabilitation facility at the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital.
After an extensive year-and-a-half-long renovation effort, the pool, dormant for over three decades, has been meticulously restored to its former glory. The refurbishment encompassed a comprehensive overhaul, including the replacement of piping, ventilation systems, sewage infrastructure, and more.
This new aquatic resource plays a vital role in the recovery journey of children requiring specialized care following severe injuries and illnesses. Specifically tailored for patients impacted by war, disabilities, developmental setbacks, orthopedic issues, and scoliosis, the facility will be staffed by dedicated physical therapists.
Distinguished guests from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine, alongside philanthropists, patrons, hospital leadership, medical professionals, patients affected by conflict, individuals in need of rehabilitation services, members of the press, and supporters of Okhmatdyt, will grace the opening ceremony.
Accreditation is required for journalists interested in covering the event.
For reference: As the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine under the Ministry of Health, the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt” annually serves over 20,000 young patients, with an additional 65,000 receiving outpatient consultations.
Liubov Kovalchuk’s husband, Dmytro, made the ultimate sacrifice in battle. A dedicated member of the Joint Forces Operation, Dmytro, a fearless airborne assault troop of the 95th Brigade, valiantly served in the Donetsk sector until his untimely demise on July 12, 2022. Despite the chaos of warfare, Dmytro managed to impart his farewell words to Liubov before departing, leaving behind their infant daughter, Ameliia, just six months old at the time.
In the depths of grief, Liubov turned to her passion for writing to navigate the harrowing aftermath of loss. Through poignant poetry and heartfelt memoirs, she channeled her anguish onto paper, culminating in a poignant manuscript aptly titled “To You, My Hero!”—a poignant tribute to her beloved warrior.
For Liubov, this literary endeavor serves as a poignant homage to Dmytro’s memory, offering solace amid the void left by his absence. Moreover, she envisions her book as a beacon of hope for fellow war widows, providing them with a source of solidarity and resilience in the face of profound loss.
Journalists seeking to delve deeper into Liubov’s poignant journey are invited to connect with her in Rivne by prior arrangement.
For reference: The Kovalchuk family receives support from the Children of Heroes charity fund, which extends a helping hand to children orphaned by the ravages of russia’s full-scale invasion. The foundation offers vital financial assistance, psychological and legal counsel, and fosters the educational and personal development of these resilient youngsters until they reach adulthood.
June 13 will mark the start of the next journey of Iron Change, a unique social project for sports and patriotic education of children and youth. The participants of the project are talented teenagers with outstanding achievements in education, sports, art and creativity, who lost the opportunity to develop their potential as a result of russian aggression, but did not lose their desire to contribute to the development of the country.
For 12 days, the children travel through the cities of western Ukraine — Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod, Chop, Lviv — all the places where Ukrzaliznytsia trains go. The youth meet with political and business leaders, as well as with the military, doctors and artists. They will visit modern Ukrainian and international companies, where they acquire leadership skills required for making successful steps into adulthood.
More than 1,000 schoolchildren from all over Ukraine have finished the project since September 2023. Participation is free.
By prior agreement, journalists have the opportunity to talk with the participants and organizers of the project on the day their next trip departs from Kyiv. There is also an opportunity to cover the journey itself.
For reference: The project was created by JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Charitable Organization “Charitable Foundation Save Ukraine” and the Howard Buffett Foundation.
The savED Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper, the CORE global crisis response organization, students, and teachers, has inaugurated a shelter at Mykolaiv Lyceum No. 55. This new facility stands as the largest shelter within Mykolaiv’s educational institutions. Utilizing the funds raised, savED successfully renovated the shelter, equipping it with furniture, appliances, high-quality lighting, and ventilation to ensure a comfortable and safe environment.
The funds for the shelter were gathered by savED last summer during the Back to School campaign. Ukrainska Pravda also initiated its own fundraising drive. CORE Response, founded by Sean Penn, contributed an additional UAH 4 million to the UAH 4 million already collected. The educational community in Lviv raised over UAH 1 million, and Kiwi, an airline ticket search service, donated around UAH 800,000 for furniture.
For background: savED is a charitable foundation focused on restoring educational access in war-affected areas. The foundation outfits shelters and educational centers, repairs damaged school buildings, sets up temporary educational spaces, and involves teenagers in community reconstruction through the UActive program. savED operates in the Chernihiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro regions.
Recently, savED launched a summer campaign to rally business support for equipping shelters and temporary schools in de-occupied communities. The campaign also aims to raise funds for backpacks filled with essential supplies for learning during power outages. The campaign’s central theme is #DriveChangeForUAChildren, encompassing all the foundation’s activities under the banner of #DriveChange.
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.
