Support for children

~ from a post on February 24, 2024 on the Canadian Lutheran World Relief’s Facebook page

As we mark the second anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, we thank you for continuing to keep Ukraine in your prayers.

Two years of ongoing conflict has had a grave impact on the development of countless children in Ukraine. Some have spent most of their short lives in isolation, without opportunities to socialize with their peers even as they continue their education online. That is why the psycho-social services your support is enabling our partners to provide are so vital.

In villages in the Donbas region, our partners have set up spaces for creativity and youth development through which psychologists and social workers provide essential services to communities living under the constant threat of violence. Children attend classes where they learn to draw with pencils and paint, develop their fine motor skills, play board games, create pictures with coloured paper, and form their favourite animal out of clay. The significance of these activities cannot be understated, as Yulia, a psychologist in the project observes: “A 5-year-old boy who started attending the classes did not understand what to do with a pencil and a colouring book… But after a few sessions, he became more active, beginning to show interest in books and learning to read.”

This not an isolated case: the joy and eagerness of the children coming to the classes speaks for itself. With close to 500 people having participated in the activities, their transformative impact is evident.

Thank you for helping children rediscover the joy of learning and play.