Children from Luhansk orphanage have a new “home”
We helped renovate a children’s home for little ones aged between 2 to 4 who had already experienced several evacuations in their lives. We hope they will be comfortable and safe there.
Luhansk’s Children’s Home No. 2, which houses children aged between 2 to 4, has already experienced four evacuations since 2014. “First we were moved to Kharkiv, then to Severodonetsk, the third evacuation was to Lviv, and finally we ended up here in Zakarpattia, in the community of Velyki Luchki, in the village of Benedykivtsi, where we were welcomed with open arms,” Yuliya Orosova, the legal advisor of the Luhansk Children’s Home, enumerates the ten-year history.
I am a mother myself, and every time I see children from internally displaced families who have had to leave their homes and step out into the unknown, I feel sorry for them and my eyes moisten. But these children are not only internally displaced. They have experienced the evacuation of their home without being able to hold their mum or dad’s hand.
Maryna, People in Peril Communications Manager in Ukraine
Initially, there were 40 children in the facility, including two orphans, three children deprived of parental care and 35 children in a difficult life situation. 15 of them were sent to a similar facility in Slovenia, where they are still today, waiting to return. Another 15 children have been placed in foster families or other forms of foster care. So, there are currently ten children in zakarpattia, and soon their little friends from Slovenia will be returning to them as well.
People in Peril and its partners renovated and furnished their new home with furniture, appliances and other necessary equipment. Two floors of a former clinic building were set aside for 40 children and staff. In addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms, the building contains technical rooms, a dining room and – of course – a playroom. One of the caregivers is very happy about the new premises: “We try to make the children feel comfortable, happy and forget about the terrible word war. We are thankful that we will be able to use these new spaces for that.”
If I say I’m happy that the kids are finally in a relatively safe place, it doesn’t really mean anything… But I saw in the Luhansk orphanage the eyes of children enjoying playing together, the hands reaching for new toys, and I wish very much that they would feel comfortable, cozy, at home there…
Maryna Honcharenko
We hope that the children will have a nice time there and feel safe. Thank you to our partners who put their hand to work and helped us to create this place that will be their home for years to come.
Caritas Czech Republic installed a sewage treatment plant and partially equipped the kitchen.
IOM provided non-food items for the kitchen.
NEHEMIA equipped the playground.
The Zakarpattia Administration and the community of Velyki Luchki carried out the reconstruction of the third floor.
