GLOBAL 2000 organizes recreational stays in Austria and enables children from Ukraine and their families to take a break from everyday war life
Vienna/Kharkiv (OTS) – On April 26, 2024 we will celebrate the 38th anniversary of the catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Almost four decades later, the consequences of the tragedy are still being felt. GLOBAL 2000 provides support within the framework of “Chernobyl Children” project For almost 30 years, children and young people who have to struggle with the complications of radioactive fallout. Medical care has become increasingly difficult in recent years due to the ongoing war.
“Children and young people in eastern Ukraine today are not only heavily affected by the long-term health consequences of the reactor disaster, but they have also been living in everyday wartime life for years. There are only two functioning children’s hospitals left in the Kharkiv region and the local doctors risk their lives every day to provide all patients with the best possible care,” says Juliana Matusova, project manager of the Chernobyl Children project at GLOBAL 2000. “Air alarms several times a day are unfortunately part of everyday life for our team. On the night of March 21st However, the situation has worsened drastically. Due to several explosions in critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, large parts of the city now have no heating or electricity. The hospital was able to turn on emergency generators, but it is unclear how long the fuel reserves will last here.”
But GLOBAL 2000 not only supports the hospital, but also 947 war-affected orphans who now live in foster families in Kharkiv and the surrounding regions. They receive food packages, medical care and psychological support.
Recreational stays in Austria for those affected
after the Recreational stays Dates have now been set for 2024 for affected children and young people and their families to resume last year after a two-year break due to COVID.
“We are very pleased that we can once again enable 30 children to spend three weeks in Austria this year,” said Matusova. “10 children from the children’s hospital in Kharkiv will spend their stay in the city of Ybbs, a group of 20 children from the mother-child centers will be accommodated in the city of Graz. We are eternally grateful to the cities for their support and the wonderful recreational opportunities they offer the children.”
The stays not only give the children and young people a much-needed break from everyday war life and the opportunity to spend carefree time with their peers, they are also psychologically important and valuable. Psychologist Olga Kasymova, who accompanied the children on their stay last year and is now continuing to provide them with psychological support in Ukraine, saw great progress in many of the children within just a few weeks. “Some of the children were very reserved at the beginning of the stay and had problems expressing their emotions and needs. During the three-week stay, many patients made great progress. The children were not only able to express their thoughts better, they also gained a lot of self-confidence. For example, they can maintain eye contact better in conversations. At first one of the children always hid his face in his hood, but since the recovery stay he has been looking at me openly during conversations.”so Kasymova.
Support
GLOBAL 2000 cannot offer children these recreational opportunities alone. On the one hand, the partnership with the cities of Graz and Ybbs is of irreplaceable value, but on the other hand, many of the program’s costs are covered by donations. “We have employees on site in Ukraine who risk everything every day to offer the children the best medical care and a little bit of normality. We do what we can to support them, be it through recovery stays, procurement of necessary materials or assistance with the repair of important medical equipment,” says Juliana Matusova. “All of this is only possible for us thanks to the financial support of our donors. We therefore ask you to stand with us alongside our Ukrainian partners and help us to support the children and young people as best as possible through these difficult times!”
Current photos from the Chernobyl Children’s Project can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBnDcv
The recreational stays can here be supported with donations!
Questions & Contact:
Hannah Keller, press spokesperson GLOBAL 2000, hannah.keller@global2000.at, 0699 14 2000 64