New Year – a year of new hopes-2

We all remember our childhood, when counted days before every holiday – especially before New Year's Eve, and the morning after with presents under the Christmas tree. Today CF "Caritas Odesa UGCC" takes care about more than 100 children of IDPs and they are waiting for the New Year, perhaps even more than any other child. After all, they already faced with anger, hatred and the pain of loss in spite of their young age. It may seem that this is not the most important need, but the purchase of gifts will be a real challenge for those families who have lost their homes and trying to build a life in a new place. 

One of the most vulnerable groups affected by the humanitarian problem in Ukraine are the children of internally displaced persons. Starting from the spring of 2014 CF "Caritas Odesa UGCC" regularly visited several centers in Odesa and Zatoka, where children from institutions of the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine stayed. We are regularly helped these children with hygiene kits.

Over the past year and a half CF "Caritas Odesa UGCC" constantly implements projects aimed to help IDPs from the area of the ATO and the Crimea. During this time we were able to help about 3 000 people. It was finance assistance, targeted aid, food and hygiene kits. In the spring of 2015 we opened help center for IDPs where they can get financial assistance, employment assistance, and enroll the child in a children's center "Child friendly space".

In 2014 and 2015 CF "Caritas Odesa UGCC" organized campaign "Schoolbag" intended to help IDPs with preparation for school. Before the start of 2015-2016 school year, we managed to help more than 80 children to go to school with everything they needed.

We appeal to all people to join our initiative, because during the New Year and Christmas holidays, most of our children will be deprived of this festive atmosphere and traditional gifts. Let's help these families survive in those dark times that hung over them!