In the last days of July, Russia launched an attack on the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, the bloodiest this year: 300 drones and eight missiles killed 31 people. On the same day, 700 km away, in a camp near the city of Svaliava in the Carpathians, 30 children are roasting marshmallows. Most of the children live in Kyiv, but now they are in the summer camp "Zefir", writes UNN with reference to The Guardian.
Details
During the 10 days of the camp, there was no air raid alarm, and no one went to shelters even once. This is the longest period without an alarm or attack for many of these children since March 2022.
The camp is held in a hotel in the mountains, an hour from the Polish border. On very hot days at the camp, a common afternoon activity is some kind of water games.
Days are filled with role-playing games, water fights, theater, and dancing. Children aged nine to 16 come from most parts of Ukraine. However, most live in Kyiv in central Ukraine, and others are from the eastern city of Dnipro.
Most of them came here because they wanted to have fun during the summer holidays. But they are also here for another reason: to escape, if only for a short time, from the tension of the war.
According to Tetiana, who has a PhD in psychology, the camp provides children with much-needed respite. The camp has existed since 2017, and then it was held in Kyiv. But when the war began, Tetiana and her husband Alex had to move it to a safer place, and that's how the children ended up here, in the mountains.
According to her, there is a big difference between the children Tetiana hosted in her camp before and after the war. Their social skills, in particular, have changed. The constant uncertainty has left its mark.
Before the war, children were more open to new experiences and relationships. They tried more of everything
That's why their work is even more important now, Tetiana believes. Together with her husband, she hosts about 500 children every year.
There are already many different types of camp schools in Ukraine, she explains. But the couple decided to create their own camp. They wanted to control the number of children in each group and make sure there weren't too many so they could be present with all of them.
They didn't even consider closing the camp after the war started. "I see that children are generally more nervous. They are not afraid of spiders; they are afraid of the future. That's why our sanctuary here is more important than ever."
Tetiana knows that neither two people with a PhD in social pedagogy, which her husband has, and in psychology, nor 10 days without an air raid alarm can solve the problems that the war creates in children's lives. But the time spent here, at the camp, can still instill some confidence in children, the woman believes.
Together with her husband and three team leaders, they try to identify each child's individual strengths and then place them in situations that could push them in a positive direction. They organize each camp differently, according to the needs they observe in the children.
For example, if someone dances well, that person will help organize evening discos. We believe that they will take such self-confidence home with them
Every evening ends with all 30 children on the dance floor. Tetiana rhythmically performs the same movements to songs, including the K-pop hit Soda Pop or Pitbull’s Timber. For more than an hour, the children dance in a circle until sweat glistens on their faces.
After a tearful farewell to the team leaders, the children return to Kyiv together. Some get off in Lviv along the way, others head further east. Tetiana travels with the children.
Two days later, she and her husband are already on the bus, returning to the camp with a new group of children from the summer camp.
Addition
This summer, a health and psychological camp for children from Ukraine was held in an Italian resort town. The "Save Childhood" camp became a safe space for psychological rehabilitation, emotional recovery, and full-fledged rest.
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