Not (only) with the eyes

Imagine a world without any images. 
Imagine that you cannot see your mother's face.
You don't understand which way is right and which way is left.
You cannot tell an apple from a pear, day from night, spring from autumn. 

For most of us, this sounds like a terrifying fantasy.
For blind children, it is a cruel reality.

What a sighted child learns “naturally,” a blind child must be taught: how to take a shower, how to find a plate on the table, how not to get lost in their own yard, how to pack a suitcase, cook dinner, and go to the store. 

This is exactly why the camp exists. It is the first and only one in Ukraine. It is organized by the LOO VGO USI.

What kind of camp is this?

It is an educational and rehabilitation camp for blind children aged 6 to 18 from different regions of Ukraine, located in Transcarpathia, in the village of Bene, far from air raid sirens, with a territory fully adapted to their needs.

Online schooling due to the war is a disaster for them right now. These children live in a world of sounds and learn with their fingertips. They need to be given everything in their hands, guided, explained, and experienced together.

What do they learn at the camp?

• Walking with a cane and using navigation;

• Working on an adapted computer and smartphone;

• Cooking — from sandwiches to pizza;

• Taking care of themselves and their space;

• Navigating money, things, and everyday life;

• Understanding who they can become in the future.

Each child comes with their mother or father (or guardian), because without prepared parents, the child's development stops. There are joint classes for families and separate classes for children and parents.

Learning is combined with rehabilitation and recreation: thermal pools, adapted excursions, meeting animals, movie nights with audio description and special descriptions for the blind.

How many children can the camp accommodate? 

One camp is:

• 8 blind children + 8 parents;

• a team of 3 specialists and a driver.

A total of 20 people.
Duration – 7 days.

In 2026, we want to hold at least 3 such camps for separate age groups: toddlers, teenagers, and children who could not be covered before due to lack of funds.

All funds are used exclusively for the camp:

• accommodation and meals;

• transportation;

• materials for classes;

• rehabilitation activities.

The cost of one camp is about UAH 166,000. The team works for free, and most of the equipment is provided from their own resources.

The ambassador for the camp fundraiser is well-known blogger and entrepreneur Anita Solovei.

At the age of 29, she suffered a stroke and partially lost her sight. From that moment on, the issue of inclusion and accessibility for people with visual impairments became not just a personal story for Anita, but a systemic charitable cause. Last year, thanks to her community, a fundraiser for printing colour Braille books with audio versions, which had been running for almost two years, was completed in just four days.

Today, the new challenge is to support a camp of opportunities for blind children.

Each donation means:

• first independent steps with a cane;

• motivation for independence;

• new friends and the development of a support network;

• the discovery of talents.

Help us teach children to live in a world they have never seen.