Your gift can change lives for the better. Donations enable us to fund the services and programs that strengthen, empower and prepare children in care to enter the working world and lead a productive, independent life.
We are giving essential needs and psychological support to 36 children who are separated from their parents, in partnership with the Maxymum Charitable Foundation in Dnipro, East Ukraine.
This project began in November 2022, and takes a holistic approach to support parentless children and the families who are caring for them. The families might be relatives, or simply volunteers who agreed to take the children in. We help families caring for children to become stable, and then we can work with Social Services to bring new children into the project, as there is a great need for our services.
"Our work to support families with children from the occupied territories or those under constant shelling is one that both breaks and heals the heart. The stories of children whose lives have been affected by the war are painful, but seeing how, despite everything, they continue to learn, socialise and, most importantly, dream about the future is incredibly inspiring," says project coordinator Sofia Furtak.
These are key achievements from March to June 2023:
And since the start of the project:
The main challenge for the children and families in the project is that Dnipro remains a frontline city. Missile attacks are not letting up and people's anxiety is growing. On top of that, children are separated from parents who have died or who are working in very dangerous conditions. Their grandparents or families who have volunteered to be temporary guardians also need support. So we understand that care for mental health is a vital priority.
It is great to see that children have started to make friends outside the project, and their happiness when they and the families caring for them can go to activities and events they couldn't otherwise afford. The support group for carers is operating successfully, and families receive professional services from a social worker and a psychologist.
"Thank you for the helpful and enjoyable time spent with our psychologist. Special thanks for the humanitarian aid." Yulia, temporary guardian.
"We spent 3 hours in your day centre today! It's impossible to explain how happy we are, thank you for this little space for childhood happiness." Elena, temporary guardian.
Families and children enjoy interesting events and spend time together. Performances, amusement parks, a roller skate park, climbing ropes, a trampoline centre, an ice circus, a dinosaur park, a tactile zoo - all this brings the participants of our project together and reduces the stress of living through these difficult circumstances.
"I want to thank everyone who supports the project. Today at the cheese factory, we experienced a lot of positive emotions and spiritual harmony. We had the opportunity to walk around the farm, feed the animals and taste different cheeses. The atmosphere there is indescribable - thank you for everything you do for us."
"I felt like there was no war in my country. Thank you very much for this feeling.”
Our next steps are to identify what extracurricular activities and hobbies the children are missing and introduce tutoring into the project. You can learn more about the project, and a story of a child we have helped, in our news article. We are also looking for funding to continue this project in 2024 so if you'd like to know more, please contact Jasmine Lehnis at info@care-in-action.org
We are grateful to the Maximum Charitable Foundation, social workers, and tireless volunteers for working side by side with us!
We truly appreciate every donation to Care in Action. Your funding is what makes it possible for us to help these children.
Your gift can change lives for the better. Donations enable us to fund the services and programs that strengthen, empower and prepare children in care to enter the working world and lead a productive, independent life.