Ukrainian children affected by the war with Russia have been treated to a summer holiday in an Italian seaside town to escape the brutal invasion from Vladimir Putin’s forces. The programme is run by Hope for Ukraine, a non-profit that has delivered more than 144 million meals and built a rapid-response aid system that sends supplies to the frontlines in under 10 days.
Forty-six children from the city of Kryvyi Rih were given the chance to experience a summer holiday in Italy this August at the No Air Raid Sirens camp in Lignano Sabbiadoro. The 10-day experience offers group activities for emotional recovery, Olympic-sized swimming pools, a waterpark, and beachfront access. Founder and CEO Yuriy Boyechko has seen firsthand the transformation these children undergo when they’re free to be children again in a safe environment, away from the war.
He told the Daily Express: “Our main goal was to really give some sort of normalcy to these children. In the beginning, every time they would see a plane in the sky here, they would think it was a missile or a drone.
“It took them two, three days to get back to normal sense and actually feel normal in a normal environment.
“And that’s our goal as an organisation – to make sure that these kids don’t lose their childhood in the midst of the crazy that they have to live through.”
This is the third year his “summer of hope” camp has taken place in Italy, with the first two years helping Ukrainian children forcibly displaced to the country from their homes.
Now, for the first time, it’s helping children still living in Ukraine escape the trauma of war through group activities, like playing tennis and football.
Sonya Olesuk is just 12 years old, but knows the sound of war well. She is currently in Italy for the camp, waking up to birdsong after more than three years of bombings and drone strikes.
“In Ukraine before the war, we used to be woken up by the birds outside, just like it’s we’re woken up here in Italy,” she said. “But after the full-scale war, we are woken up by the bombs and by the drones every day.
“The last time I saw a plane in Ukraine in the sky was before the full-scale war, which is over three years ago. Now all you can see in the sky is missiles, drones, and war planes.”
Her sister Snizanna, 9, still misses home despite the shocking conditions she endures there, not being able to sleep in her own bed amid continued Russian attacks.
“While in Ukraine, I was sleeping almost every night in the hallway in between the bedrooms,” she said. “We cannot sleep in the bed because we’ve been under constant attacks from the missiles.”
Each day, the children also get a surprise; one day last week it was a pizza party, and another day it was an ice cream night.
Snizanna, whose favourite camp activity is playing tennis, has managed to find comfort through her friendships. “It’s so good for me here,” she added. “This is clean air here, and I have a lot of good friends.”
Hope for Ukraine was established in 2016 to provide food, shelter, and education to vulnerable people across the country.
Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, it was forced to change its mission and focus on providing food, clothes, shelter, and medical support to those affected by the war.
It has so far helped roughly 100 children to experience healing, connection, and joy through its summer camps.
