Children of Heroes Project 3 – “We are all from Ukrainian roots”

The Ukrainian Youth Association of Great Britain is continuing to support the Children of Heroes Project which is now in its third year.

This year we are inviting 10 children to experience our summer camp at Tarasivka – a further unique opportunity to meet peers of Ukrainian parentage born in Great Britain, and enjoy a brief respite from the continuing turmoil in their lives at home in Ukraine. In turn, our members gain firsthand knowledge and insight into contemporary life in Ukraine.

Our slogan for this year has been carefully and specifically chosen to reinforce solidarity by acknowledging that we are all Ukrainian regardless of our country of birth, and as an organisation we pay tribute to those who continue to make huge sacrifices for our country. A powerful message from all our youth members!

Official figures estimate that more than 10,000 people have died since the protests and conflict began in the winter of 2013/14, over 22,000 have been injured, many more traumatised, and approximately 215,000 children displaced. They are all heroes. The figures continue to rise.

These statistics tell us that we need to continue with this project now and in the years to come as more and more children become affected by grief, impoverished circumstances, resettlement and loss of childhood.
In 2015 we began fundraising and the overwhelming response, especially from non CYM members, allowed us to bring 15 children and one supervisor, with enough funds to repeat the project in 2016 for a group of 18 children and one supervisor.

Your generosity has brought us to this third year. With the remaining money and some additional very kind donations from across the United Kingdom this year we are inviting 10 bereaved children and a supervisor.

It is our intention to continue with this project into the coming years and to develop our resources and improve the tabir experience which the fund allows.So get in touch if you would like to make a donation to the fund.

To find out more about our Association (CYM), ‘Tarasivka’ our ‘Field of Dreams’, and the experiences we offer our members and visitors from Ukraine during summer camps please visit our page https://cym.org/uk/tabir/

Thank you for your ongoing support

Anna Fedeczko – Holova Taborovoyi Komisiyi
Tanya Klymenko – Project Coordinator
May 2017