I’m not from Ukrainian descent. There are a few Ukrainians that I’m friends with, but didn’t know anybody directly affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Watching the devastation unfold on my television hit me. My heart broke watching fathers wave goodbye to their children, possibly for the last time.
I was invited to tour Western Ukraine and share why it is still a top tourist destination. There was more to my trip than sharing information about the great places I visited. Rebuild Ukraine Foundation was also along the trip to find ways tourism can help rebuild Ukraine. One place we stopped was SOS, Partner Charity Program “Children of the War.”
SOS is a charity program assisting those affected by the war. The war is raging in the east, causing devastation and loss of life. People have become refugees in their own country. While we were in Kamianets-Podilskyi, we visited a school run by SOS. Staff members sat down with us to discuss the school.
Sasha Vosk founder of the Rebuild Ukraine Foundation assisted me with translation.
Q: Where are the kids coming from?
A; Most are coming from the east, where the war is the most severe. There’s also no work there, so people are coming to the western part.
Q: How do the kids find you?
A: We work with different organizations that find the kids and the families and they contact us.
Q: What is the age range?
A: 6 to 16.
Q: How many kids do you have at this facility?
A: Over 200 kids. We’ve had over 2,000 kids that have already passed through the system.
Q: Where do they go on to after they leave here?
A: Back to their home if they can. In the cases that they come here because their parents are fighting, they go back with them when they can. We also send kids to other regions. We send them to other family members when possible. We try to return kids to their parents. We try.
We teach the kids to learn how to deal with stress when they return to their parents. We tend to their psychological needs and physical needs. When their parents have passed on, we work with the child’s emotional needs.
Q: How many people work here?
A: About 50 people work here. Some of them are medical and there are teachers.
Q: This is a difficult time for the staff. How are you coping with the responsibilities?
A: Okay.
Q: Okay is usually not okay.
A: We have to find ways to cope, or we would go crazy.
Q: What do the kids do for fun?A: We have sports, entertainment, art, things like that. We like to know what the kids did for fun back home, so they can do the same things here. Sports are taken seriously in this country. We also have artistic therapy. Kids read for fun as well and play games. Older kids can attend university classes and have freedom outside of the school.
Q: Do teenagers have the freedom to go out on their own like normal teenagers?
A: One chaperone is always with them.
Q: Are they allowed cell phone and be on social media?
A: Yes.
Q: Do they interact with other kids in the town?
A: They are living by schedule. It’s not that they’re restricted, they need to go by a schedule. At certain times, they have to be where they need to be. If the schedule permits, they can go out. We encourage socializing with kids in the community. So, there’s a lot of socializing even within their schedule.
Q: What is the average time a child will spend here?
A: Some of them for four months. Others are longer. A year or more. If they come from the more horribly hit areas of Ukraine, when kids have no place to return, we can’t return kids if there’s no place for them to go.
Q: Where does the funding come from for this charity?
A: It comes from private donors. We have people donating from Ukraine, America, England, France, and local people. For last year, the budget was $3,171,290.40 in US dollars. Much of our donations come in the forms of food or medical supplies. It’s not just money that’s donated. We welcome any kind of partnership or sponsorship.
We also work with elderly and disabled people who are displaced.
Q: Do they live here as well?
A: No, they live in a separate facility. We’ve partnered with a university that specializes in rehab to help us with older adults and disabled people. We’re hoping to come up with 1,000 beds to accommodate them. When the soldiers come back from the font line, they will need our help with the physical and psychological needs. We’re looking for extra knowledge with this type of rehabilitation. Hopefully, America will be able to help us because American has been doing a lot of research and work on this topic. Because America went through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they will have knowledge to help us develop this program. Not everything is solved by money.
Here are some achievements from SOS:
- Over 2500 children have been welcomed.
- There are 150 Psychological groups training.
- 50 individual psychological consultations.
- 200 workshops and training for psychological support.
- 175 group excursions.
- 100 cultural events.
- 120 children attend sporting clubs.
- All children receive an individual gift.
- Children are provided shoes and clothes.
The goal of SOS is to improve children’s mental health and well-being. Walking around the school and speaking to the professionals who are taking care of the kids give me hope for Ukraine’s future. When the war is over, Ukraine will rebuild. I’m honored to be part of the rebuild effort as far as tourism goes. I’m also honored to get a behind the scenes look at how Ukraine is currently rebuilding children’s lives. My heart has broken for Ukraine even more after putting names and faces to the stories I heard on the news. SOS is looking beyond the physical needs, they’re healing the emotional and mental needs as well, ensuring that Ukraine will be in good hands once these little ones grow up.
To learn more about SOS, click here.
To donate to SOS, click here.
Hear are more stories abour our time in Ukraine:
Where is God During War: A conversation with a Ukrainian Priest
15 Reasons to Visit Western Ukraine Now
Defeating Darkness with Art: Touring Park 3020
Getting Naked in Ukraine
Rebuilding Ukraine by Rebuilding Children’s Lives: My interview with the staff of SOS
Emily Resort and Spa in Lviv, Ukraine is a Luxury Paradise with Family-Friendly Activities
Visiting Ukraine During the War
Representing America in the Back of a Taxi in Ukraine
Promoting Tourism in Ukraine During the War
Visiting Ukraine During the War
Snowboarding in Ukraine
Tips for Americans Visiting Ukraine
Visiting Truskavets’ Healing Springs and Spas
Horseback Riding in the Carpathian Mountains
Visiting Kamianets-Podilkskyi: Remembering the Past and Building to a Better Future
The Show Must Go On: The Lviv Opera House is Open Despite the War
Traditional Ukrainian Drink Uzvar Recipe
Kyiv Mule Cocktail Recipe
*I was hosted by the Lviv Tourist department to write about the many great things Ukraine has to offer visitors. While in Ukraine, we visited outside the state to Kamianets-Podiliskyi to visit the school.
@onegooddad I was invited to tour Western Ukraine and write about the reasons why Ukraine can still be a tourist destination. Even though I was having a good time, it wasn’t lost on me that Ukrainians were paying a horrible price daily for Russia’s invasion. I paid repects for those that lost their lives defending Ukraine whenever I could. My heart breaks for Ukraine and the wonderful people I’ve met. #Ukraine #travelukraine #fy #fyp #travelwriter #respect #ukraine🇺🇦