Themes by tag: children

A second underground school has opened in Kharkiv, already accommodating 750 students. Once the second phase of construction is completed, the school is expected to host nearly 1,000 students. It currently serves children finishing primary school — many of whom are meeting face-to-face for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by russia’s full-scale invasion, deprived them of the opportunity for normal in-person learning.

In addition to classrooms, the underground school has inclusive and resource rooms to support students with different needs.

Background: Due to constant russian shelling, children in Kharkiv began studying in the city’s metro stations in September 2023, when several stations were converted into makeshift classrooms. In May 2024, Kharkiv opened its first underground school, which has 20 classrooms and provides education for 600 students.

• children
• Kharkiv

Seventeen-year-old Radomyr Tiutiunnyk is the son of a soldier in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the start of the full-scale invasion, his father told him that drones, especially FPV drones, were one of the critical needs for Ukrainian defenders on the front lines. Radomyr decided to help his father and tried to build them himself.

He found all the necessary information on the Internet. His first “birds” successfully passed tests, and Radomyr began assembling drones on a regular basis. At first, he worked on drones in his spare time after school. Now he has formed a team that produces more than 1,000 units a month. Volunteers print the parts for the FPV drones on a 3D printer. Over the course of his work, Radomyr has delivered about 15,000 FPV drones to the front lines.

You can contact Radomyr Tiutiunnyk online or in person in Odesa by prior arrangement.

• children
• volunteers
• Odesa

Pylyp Dukhliy is a veteran of the russo-Ukrainian war and the founder of a private school where children study programming, robotics, 2D and 3D modeling in addition to general education subjects.

After February 24, 2022, Pylyp evacuated his family to the West, while he joined the Defense Forces. His mission was to organize communication between positions. Pylyp says that during his service he faced several life-threatening situations and now counts four additional “birthdays”.

After being discharged, Pylyp returned to work at the school in Kyiv. Currently, high school students there are assembling and building FPV drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The students enjoy the process as it allows them to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. They have a modern workshop equipped for design, prototyping and soldering. The workshop also has a laser cutter and a 3D printer.

The students’ drones can carry up to two kilograms, travel at least five kilometers, and stay airborne for over twenty minutes.

• children
• Kyiv

The United States recently hosted the debut of  “Through the Eyes of Children”, a powerful collection of children’s quotes published by HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s most renowned publishing houses.  

Originally published in February 2023 by the “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation, the book aims to draw global attention to the hardships faced by children as a result of russia’s war against Ukraine. Within just three months of its release, HarperCollins Publishers expressed interest and secured the rights to publish the book in the U.S. and worldwide. 

The U.S. book tour took place from December 8 to 14, with events in three cities: New York, Washington, D.C., and New Haven. A signed copy of the book by Tania Vovk was also presented to Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor and a devoted friend of Ukraine. 

The centerpiece of the tour was the presentation of “War Through the Eyes of Ukrainian Children: An Evening of Stories, Discussion, and Reflection”, held on December 13 in New York at the Ukrainian Institute of America, with support from the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. 

Among other things, the voices of Ukrainian children, with the support of Rebirth.Ukraine, resonated in the legendary Times Square. 

Journalists can access further details about the book launch in the United States, along with accompanying photos and videos.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Kovalchuk is 47 years old and a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war. He has been working as a teacher at a private kindergarten in Zhytomyr for almost six months.

In the fall of 2022, Oleksandr was drafted and served in the Donetsk oblast. In 2023 he was injured, lost 50% of his hearing and suffered a concussion. Due to his health condition he was discharged from military service. After that he underwent rehabilitation. Oleksandr is also a member of a Ukrainian veterans organization.

Currently, the veteran works with children, conducting creative and sports activities in the kindergarten. He also helps take care of the children by helping them dress and feed themselves.

Kseniia Lavrina, the director of the private kindergarten, explains that the goal of this initiative is to create a positive image of veterans in the eyes of the public.

The private kindergarten where Oleksandr now works was co-owned by Kseniia Lavrina and Artem Sachuk. According to Kseniia, Artem was the one who came up with the idea of having men do half of the teaching. Later he supported the inclusion of veterans in the process. Artem Sachuk voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and tragically died on the front lines on November 26, 2023.

• children
• military
• Zhytomyr

On December 11, Kyiv will host an event marking the conclusion of the charitable project “Childhood Without War”, which facilitated the largest private evacuation of orphaned children from Ukraine to Turkey.

Participants of the event:

• Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine
• Ruslan Shostak, philanthropist, President of TERWIN Corporation and founder of national retail chains EVA and Varus
• Petro Dobromilskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Children
• Vasyl Bodnar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey
• Andrii Bobliakh, Member of Parliament of Ukraine
• Nadiia Zadorozhna, Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration
• Participants of the project (orphans and their caregivers)

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ruslan Shostak, together with partners, organized the largest evacuation of orphaned children and their caregivers from Ukraine to Turkey. This was made possible by an agreement between the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, and the First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan.

A total of 3,500 children – including orphans, children deprived of parental care, and children from families in difficult circumstances – were provided with shelter in Turkey. For three years, Ruslan Shostak’s charitable foundation, together with partners, provided these children with shelter in hotels on the Mediterranean coast and fully covered the costs of their housing, food, education, and holistic development.

The “Childhood Without War” project has received international recognition and has been included in the World Record Book. The documentary film “Save Generation UA” dedicated to the project has won seven international awards in five countries.

• children
• Kyiv

Sarah, a U.S. citizen, has been living and working in Kyiv for the past year. She joined the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, which assists war-affected children. Sarah mainly focuses on humanitarian issues.

Sarah first visited Ukraine as a teenager with her father. In 2023, during the full-scale war, she decided to relocate to Kyiv. She finds inspiration in exploring new cities, including those near the front lines, where she says one can truly feel the meaning of life.

Sarah has made a significant contribution to the Foundation’s work, helping to register the Foundation’s office in the United States and making important new contacts to enhance fundraising efforts.

Journalists can meet and speak with Sarah in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• children
• women
• Kyiv

Luis, a 19-year-old born in Venezuela, has travelled to different countries since he was a child, including living in Canada. Seven months ago, he arrived in Ukraine and  began offering free English lessons to children. Currently, Luis is a volunteer at the Kyiv branch of the Voices of Children Foundation. According to Luis, this project allows him not only to help children learn English, but also to give them opportunities to grow and find joy through play.

Journalists can arrange to meet and speak with Luis in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• children
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Volunteers with the St. Nicholas Reindeer Project have already received more than 2,000 letters from children all over Ukraine. Among other things, children are asking Saint Nicholas for toys, sweets and the popular “Cat Paw” stress-relief balls. This year, many children are also asking for peace and an end to the war. Some have asked for their fathers to return from the front lines, or for their relatives to be released from captivity. Among those who wrote to St. Nicholas were children whose homes were destroyed by the war.

As part of this charitable initiative, anyone can choose a child’s letter and fulfill a wish. The volunteers will then deliver the gifts, organize a celebration and provide a photo report. They plan to visit de-occupied areas of the Kharkiv oblast, as well as communities in the Kyiv and Donetsk oblasts, working in more than 50 localities across various regions.

Journalists can talk to the organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the distribution of gifts by volunteers in different regions.

For reference: The St. Nicholas Reindeer project was established in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children in frontline communities.

• casualties
• children
• Kharkiv

As part of the “St. Nicholas for Children in Need” campaign, the Maltese Relief Service has received more than 2,000 heartfelt letters from children across Ukraine. The letters come from children with disabilities, those who lost their parents to the war, whose parents are held in captivity, and children facing difficult life circumstances or without parental care.

In many of the letters, children ask St. Nicholas for peace and victory for Ukraine. Some requests are deeply personal—a child wishes for their father to receive a new leg, while another hopes their mother will return from captivity. Others even express concern for the saint’s safety, warning him to be careful amid the missile attacks. Alongside these touching pleas, children also ask for traditional gifts such as toys, scooters, and bicycles.

The letters are sorted by benefactors, who fulfill the children’s wishes by delivering gifts to the Maltese Relief Service’s office, which serves as St. Nicholas’ residence for the campaign’s duration.

Volunteers are now completing the final stages of gift packing. Deliveries have already begun, with gifts sent to locations in the Lviv and Kharkiv regions. The main distribution events will take place from December 2 to 7.

Journalists are invited to cover the gift distribution in Lviv and surrounding areas and can also meet with St. Nicholas’ helpers to learn more about the campaign.

• casualties
• children
• Lviv