Naturally, we want to give our children all the best in this life. This year it is especially difficult to achieve this mission in Ukraine – children are being born under enemy fire, they celebrate birthdays to the sound of air sirens, and many have lost their loved ones and had to flee their homes.
“That is why on Children’s Day we wanted to do something different, not just distribute sweets and toys, although this is also important. Because Nova Ukraine is always about something more. Earlier we learned about this organization in Kryvyi Rih called KRC Shelter+. Our volunteer happened to be there, so she took over the coordination of the project and it turned out to be an amazing collaboration” – Katya Bezsudna, Nova Ukraine.
KGC Shelter+ is a local Kryvyi Rih initiative that has existed for over 20 years. Children here take art classes, play sports, and perform in a local theater studio. In March 2022, KGC Shelter+ started hosting a new kind of guests – people who fled Donet’sk, Luhans’k, Kherson, and Mykolayiv regions and came to ask for humanitarian aid. About one hundred families are being supported in the center so far.
“The number may seem small for such a big country like Ukraine, but we are talking about long-term help here. These children are able to go to our classes and meetups, they have also met friends and they are happy here. Some of the children that have gone through very difficult times are also going to therapy sessions” – Roman Morozov, Program Director of the Shelter+.
For one day, thanks to your donations, this center became a magical place: where kids could hang out with Harry Potter and attend his potion lessons, meet the Faun from The Chronicles of Narnia and chit chat with Paddington Bear and friends.
Every child also received a gift from Nova Ukraine. The youngest, 0-2 years old, got Montessori-approved toys. Children 3-18 years old received all kinds of books, board games, and other learning materials. Of course, we could not forget the urgent basic needs of people who have left their comfortable daily routine, so NU volunteers also provided funds for basic necessities for each child.
Thank you to all the partners who joined in this event:
Shelter Plus, montessori.ua, Bavka Toys, Vilnyi Viter, Ranok Shkola
Thank you to the media partners for the sharing this story:
Expert-Kr, 1KR, Kryvoy Rog News, Krivbass.city
And thank you to our donors for making this event possible!
