By Tetiana Palchun | Volunteer
Help Children from
Ukrainian East
http://www.children-ato.in.ua/
https://www.facebook.com/children.ato/
Main Aim: social adaptation of the children, who suffer from ATO. Protection of maternity and childhood.
Target Audience:
1. Children, who have lost father/mother or both in the ATO.
2. Children, whose fathers are in captivity or are missing.
3. Forcibly displaced children.
4. Children, who suffer from ATO in any other way.
Implementation Area: Sumy region, Ukraine.
Cooperation with ToyDrive
Aim: this group was created as an initiative of a group of Razom volunteers to coordinate activities related to the Toy Drive, exchange any information related to those activities, and to post photos and articles about the families of the wounded.
Location: geographically, headquarters are located in the states of New York and New Jersey, but more volunteers from all corners of USA continue to join the initiative every day.
How does it work:once in a while, one of the group administrators will post information about a family and its children. If you volunteer to put together a package, first put your name into the table or under the post. After that, administrator links them to the volunteer who offered the family or to the family themselves. It is done for the details to be discussed (necessary things to be send, additional information about the family, way and address of shipping).
Two families from the project have already received packages from Canada and the USA. Also, three families are still waiting for their packages which are on their way.
Little Maksym and his brother have received a nice package from Canada. When they opened the box, they found clothes, shoes, backpack and interesting toys. Boys were very happy to receive the last. Mother was really glad to found new clothes and shoes.
Little Valeriia (Valery) received a “hello” from the USA almost on her Birthday. American blond, called Barbie, with her our clothing, nice stationery needed for the school lessons came from the USA.
Cooperation with other organizations
Project Assistance to the Children Who Suffer from ATO works actively with other charitable and public non-profit organizations. A fruitful cooperation was established between CO Sagacitas-Ukraine and the international charitable organization Charitable Fund UkrainskyiSvitanok(Ukrainian Dawn), representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany from Ukraine-Chemnitz-Europa e.V. and Ukrainian American Coordinating Council.
Charitable fund UkrainskyiSvitanok (Ukrainian Dawn)
Information: the international charitable foundation UkrainskyiSvitanok (The Ukrainian Dawn) was founded in 2007, a distinguished singer and public activist. The foundation’s main activities include providing material, financial, organizational and other charitable support and assistance to socially vulnerable citizens and groups.
Almost 400 kg of toys, clothesand shoes were received for the participants of the project. An every single package was made for a definite family according to the preferences and sizes mentioned in their applications. Such similar actions are planed forward. Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7bbjZviEOQ
Ukraine-Chemnitz-Europa e.V.
Information: public non-profit organization, established by the representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora from Chemnitz by Veronika and Henadii. The group of volunteers helps Ukraine actively. Also, it organizes different local actions and fundraising events to promote and help Ukraine.
Ukraine-Chemnitz-Europa e.V.provides with clothes and toys the participants of the project. Public non-profit organization also takes care about the health of the children. Children received a set of necessary vitamins for making immune system stronger at the beginning of the fall season. The clothes are expectedto be received in the nearest future.
Ukrainian American Coordinating Council
Information: non-profit organization. It was incorporated in California (USA) in 1967. The main aim of UACC is to develop Ukrainian diaspora and support Ukrainian traditions abroad.Since the beginning of Russian aggression, the UACC has constantly sent humanitarian supplies and financial assistance to IDPs from the Crimea and eastern regions of Ukraine. Together with its partners, organization provides support to the families and children who have lost a breadwinner during the Revolution of dignity and ATO.
The action Stationary for the First Year Pupils was organized together with the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council. The first year pupils who take part in the project were provided with all necessities for the school year. Boys and girls received the full sets of stationary and school bags with orthopedic back for the whole school year due to the diligent work of the organization, directly of Mykyta.
Leisure time for children
Children from the project assistance to Children Who Suffer from ATO can visit free of charge:
1) youth equestrian sports school (YESS);
2) swimming pool.
1) Families which take part in the project can visit YESS free of charge every weekend. They must contact with the representative of the school and arrange the day and time of their horse riding lesson. Children are under care of the professional trainers all the time. Also, families can have a small excursion around the YESS, feed and caress horses.
Advantages: hippotherapy is a traditional therapy for the psychologica lrehabilitation. It develops physical activity of a child, counteracts negative social influence. Hippotherapy provides children with external social and psychological assistance.
2) Free of charge swimming lessons are organized for the children from the project.They take place every Saturday at 11 am. at the swimming pool of school #7. Children are under the constant care of the professional trainer. Children who are 6 years and older and have needed medical certificate can visit swimming lessons.
Adventages: 30-45 min/day spent in the swimming pool increase metabolic rate. It helps to keep body in a good physical shape. Swimming counteract bad mood, calm down and provide body with energy. Water exercises make a blood circulation and pressure better.
We have established a new tradition in terms of the project Assistance to Children Who Suffer from ATO.
Name: Birthday Day
Valeriia (Valery) was the first one who took part in this action. The coordinators of the project congratulated a girl with her Birthday. The representative of the first Ukrainian charitable KVN league Sagacitas Oleksii supported this action. Mother Oksana and little Valeriia received 2 tickets to the second semi-final of the KVN league as a birthday gift.
Workshop in motanka (traditional Ukrainian doll) making was organized for the children of the project in cooperation with the teacher of arts Nataliia, school #27. Children made such doll by themselves and found out a few interesting facts about such dolls. Also, another motanka was made, special to be sold at the charitable on-line auction EuromaidanItems. All raised money was given to Roman who had leukemia.
Advantages: art therapy is a kind of psychotherapy based on art activities. It helps to express an inner world of a person, discover a creative potential of a child. Also, it develops skills of teamwork.
Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWMlMiAw5qs&feature=youtu.be
Workshop in balloon modeling was organized for the little participants of the project. Children made different animals, flowers and fanciful hats together with the teacher. Kids were thrilled because not an every day you have an opportunity to do something with a balloon.
Workshop in pizza making was organized for the children. Everyone had an opportunity to make his/her own pizza using any flavoring they wanted. Every child had an opportunity to express his/her personality through the usage of the products and decorating their pizzas. We were pleased to see happy face of children and eatable ones of pizzas.
Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o3AtTaTP3A
An excursion to the ostrich farm was organized for the children from the project. Children had an opportunity not only to feed ostriches but also to make friendship with other “citizens” of that farm. Children had a chat with the stork named Lelyk, ran away from the goose named Caeser, gave a million hugs to the little sheep, fed swans and ran after cats. Also, children made a peacock sing. Ostriches were the favorites but nice shy roe deer was a strong competitor for them. The most important is that children spent an active weekend on a fresh air in a good company.
Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_as1U-oZJ5Q
The match "Dynamo" (Kiev) - "Metallist" (Kharkov) took place at the stadium "Olympic" on October 31th, 2015. Before the game, children, who had felt the horror of the military action in the Ukrainian East, from Sumy and Volyn region went out to the field holding hands with the stars of the Ukrainian football.
The Football Federation of Ukraine decided to support those children who were touched by the undeclared war in the East.
Thanks to the direct assistance of Vice President of FFU, the president of the Football Federation of Kyiv, 18 children from the project "Assistance to Children Who Suffered from ATO" could go out to the field holding hands with their idols and stars of Ukrainian sport.
Sumy regional branch of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine played an important role in the organization of the trip.
Children from Sumy and Volyn regions were brought by different buses. All expenses were covered by the charitable foundation "Sagasitas-Ukraine". Children of ages from 5 to 11 were met as small stars: they had an excursion around the stadium Dynamo, felt themselves like guests at the press conference and they could take place of the football players in the press-club. They were invited to be a part of the fan club Dynamo and each child was given an individual gift from FC.
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