Shelter near Kamianske opens up a playroom for displaced children
A large entertainment room at a Kamianske shelter welcomed its little visitors on the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays. This has become possible thanks to the assistance provided by donor partners of the Saving Lives project launched by the Metinvest Group in concert with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
It is a good tradition to give New Year presents that make both children and adults happy. Positive vibes and a fairy-tale atmosphere are particularly needed for those who experienced ordeals in the past year.
Nearly 300 people, including 65 children, displaced from Mariupol, Avdiivka and other cities that came under shelling are staying in the shelter near Kamianske. To make children`s leisure time more insightful and eventful, the shelter arranged a large playroom ahead of New Year celebrations.
The room is full of games for children of different age. This has become possible thanks to the support provided by RiDiamo Onlus, an Italian law company, which is a donor partner of the Saving Lives project.
“We have divided the premises into three sectors. Children under six years old will have fun in a soft play zone with bright hammocks, slides, a play ball pond, and interactive games. We offer various entertaining and board games for 6+ kids. Older children will enjoy a cyberzone where you can play game consoles with a set of the coolest games,” said Stanislav Lysytsia, a spokesman of Zaporizhia Social Initiatives LLC.
The first little visitors have already liked this valuable New Year gift. Parents are happy too, because now children have a place to spend time, play, communicate, and develop, when winter and bad weather has brought things like that to a halt.
As a reminder, Saving Lives has joined efforts with the Masha Fund to roll out the Unbreakable Mom program. It is designed to improve the psychological and emotional well-being of participants, prevent the development of PTSD, develop the ability to adapt and self-actualize, and form new social connections.
The program participants included Metinvest employees, their wives and children who were under occupation, lost their families, fled their homes or were left with deep psychological trauma caused by their distressing experience. During three weeks, 140 participants had sessions with specialists. A separate schedule was prepared for mothers and children. The participants attended psychological sessions and art therapy master classes, and received individual consultations.
Assistance from Saving Lives has reached nearly 375,000 Ukrainians since the start of the all-out war.