Themes by tag: Kyiv

The Voices of Children charitable foundation invites the public to witness the symbolic start of construction for the Childhood Center, a pioneering space in Ukraine dedicated to the psychological recovery of children and parents traumatized by war.

On June 5, the construction of the Childhood Center will be symbolically launched in the Kyiv oblast. The event will showcase what the center looks like from the children’s perspective and how it will look in a year. A collective message to future generations of children will be sealed in a “time capsule”.

Afterwards, a panel discussion titled “How to Save Childhood in War?” will take place. The discussion will feature the foundation’s co-founders, Olena Rozvadovska and Azad Safarov; Kateryna Rashevska, a human rights activist and expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights; Oleksandra Romantsova, a human rights activist and the executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties; Iryna Tuliakova, head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care; Nataliia Masiak, a leading psychologist and psychiatrist; and children and families who are living through the difficult experience of war and undergoing recovery with the foundation.

Registration is required for the event.

• children
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited to a closed screening of the documentary “Home: Place of Power” on May 24 in Kyiv.

The film features heartbreaking yet heroic stories of individuals affected by russian aggression and portrays the daily efforts of volunteers from the Dobrobat construction battalion.

The heroes of the film and its creators will attend the screening. Journalists can arrange interviews with them in advance.

Accreditation is required to attend.

Background: The film was produced with support from 1+1 Media and the Kyivstar TV platform.

• casualties
• culture
• Kyiv

Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES).  The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.

Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.

Background: This project is being implemented by IREX in partnership with the SavED Charitable Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. They work in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On May 23, Media Center Ukraine will host a panel discussion titled “Discussion: Ukraine-Africa relations – priorities, challenges, and the path forward,” bringing together experts and officials to examine the current landscape of Ukraine’s engagement with African nations.

Key topics:

– Defining Ukraine’s foreign policy priorities on the African continent;

– Countering russian disinformation and navigating China’s growing influence;

– Turning symbolic diplomacy into long-term strategic partnerships;

– What Ukraine can offer Africa, and what it stands to gain in return?

Participants:

– Hanna Hopko, Head of the Board of the National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”;

– Yurii Oliinyk, Non-Governmental Analytical Center “Ukrainian Studies of Strategic Discussions”;

– Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Parliamentary Committee on Integration of Ukraine to the EU;

– Dzvinka Kachur, Ukrainian World Congress in Africa (online);

– Yevhen Mahda, Institute of World Policy;

– Dariia Panova, expert of the National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”.

• Kyiv

A major exhibition showcasing the largest collection of artifacts from the era of Hetman Ivan Mazepa will open at the Historical and Cultural Reserve “Kyiv Pechersk Lavra” on May 23. Titled “Mazepa: The Strategy of European Ukraine,” the exhibit offers rare insight into Ukraine’s historical alignment with Europe centuries ago.

The collection features an array of artifacts illustrating the political, cultural, and spiritual life of Mazepa’s time. Among the items on display are original historical documents, fine art, jewelry, Cossack-era weaponry, luxury goods, ceremonial attire, and early printed works – each piece offering a glimpse into Ukraine’s European identity during the Hetmanate period.

A guided tour by the exhibit’s curators will be held during the opening. Media representatives are required to obtain accreditation in advance.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Grandma’s Hares project was launched four 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 1,300 handmade doll hares, which have been distributed to the police. These toys are now used by Ukraine’s Juvenile Police across 20 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.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On May 25, as Ukraine’s capital celebrates the Day of Kyiv, an open cultural and educational gathering for children and parents “Nytochka” (The Little Thread) will take place. The event will feature a conversation on culture in times of war, along with a music and dance workshop led by the folk band ShchukaRyba and the Voices of Children charity foundation.

Over the past six months, the Voices of Children Foundation and ShchukaRyba have met with teenagers in frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Chernihiv, and Dnipro. A planned session in Sumy was canceled due to a russian ballistic missile strike just hours before it was set to begin. The Kyiv event will mark the final stop in the series.

Singer and poet Maryna Krut, the Ivan Honchar Museum, the Patron Pets Center, and other partners will also take part in the “Nytochka” gathering.

During the event, the Voices of Children team will share information about psychological and psychosocial support available to families and children affected by the war, and help those in need access professional assistance.

For reference: The series of cultural and educational meetings with ShchukaRyba is part of the art laboratories launched by the Voices of Children Foundation. The project helps teenagers process the trauma of war through creativity, rebuilding their confidence and sense of trust in the world.

A reminder: International Children’s Day is observed globally on June 1.

• children
• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

The Polish Legion is inviting journalists to attend the upcoming award ceremony honoring the Polish-Ukrainian Brotherhood of Arms, scheduled to take place in Kyiv on May 22.

The event will also include an exhibition commemorating Polish nationals who have fallen in the ongoing russia-Ukraine war.

Among the guests are military personnel, veterans, volunteers, family members of fallen soldiers, representatives of Polish organizations, public figures, and politicians. All are united by a shared commitment to Polish-Ukrainian cooperation, including support for the Intermarium concept.

Media accreditation is required to attend the ceremony.

For reference: The Polish Legion is a volunteer military formation that supports Ukraine through both direct engagement on the battlefield and by providing military equipment, food, and other critical supplies to frontline troops.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 21, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing: “Youth voice in the care system: How the state and partners respond to children’s real needs”

Participants:
– Mariia Sakuta, Director General of the Directorate for Overcoming Difficult Life Circumstances at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine;
– Taras Odnenko, Member of the DIiMO Office, Graduate of an Institutional Care Facility;
– Kyrylo Nevdokha, Head of the DIiMO Office, Ambassador of Mentorship;
– Anastasiia Stepula, Advocacy Consultant at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network NGO.

Key topics:
– The needs and demands of children and youth in institutional care facilities and alternative care formats;
– The role of youth voices in reforms and support from the state and the DIiMO Office;
– DIiMO Office’s plans for 2025–2026: how to improve the lives of children and youth in the care system;
– Partnerships for change: the role of civil society organizations in protecting rights and development of children and youth.

• children
• Kyiv

How can the Ministry of Defense’s procurement be monitored to detect corruption without undermining the military? What is the current focus of the second iteration of the Public Anti-Corruption Council of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense? These questions will be addressed during a discussion in the Defense Talks format in Kyiv on May 21.

Participants:

• Oleksandr Zavitnevych, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence;
• Nazar Kubov, Acting Anti-Corruption Officer at the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT);
• Oleh Polishchuk, Acting Head of the Internal Control Department at the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), Ministry of Defense of Ukraine;
• Nadiia Bihun, Chair of the DOT Supervisory Board, former Deputy Minister of Economy;
• Tetiana Nikolaienko, investigator and deputy head of the MoD’s Public Anti-Corruption Council;
• Anastasiia Shuba, volunteer and member of the MoD’s Public Anti-Corruption Council.

The discussion will take place during Open Government Week as part of Ukraine’s participation in the international Open Government Partnership initiative.

Accreditation is required to attend.

Background: In 2023, the Public Anti-Corruption Council was established within the Ministry of Defense as an independent advisory body composed of civil society representatives, journalists, and experts. Its mandate is to ensure civilian oversight of defense procurement, combat corruption, and enhance transparency. The council was re-elected in January 2025 after a technical failure disrupted online voting.

About Defense Talks: Organized by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), these meetings bring together Ukrainian officials, civil society members, diplomats, and the media to discuss key trends and challenges in security and defense.

NAKO is a civil society organization focused on minimizing corruption risks in Ukraine’s defense sector through in-depth research, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns.

• Kyiv