Community Protection Centers in Mariinka and Krasnohorivka continue their work

The functioning of CPCs in Mariinka and Krasnohorivka, established by the City Aid Center under umbrella of UNICEF, is underway.

It seems like not while ago, we have been preparing for opening ceremony, while now we realize that the summer is almost over.

The Centers serve to be a place where children can communicate with their peers, attend pre-school classes, improve English and Ukrainian, go in for sports, dance, paly, etc. In the meantime, over 600 children visited our Centers.

With knowledge and skills gained at trainings of the agency Terre des Homme, one of the UNICEF partners, our staff is able to apply new approaches and methodology in dealing with children affected by the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine. Such approaches allow helping kids overcome stress at play, deal with challenges in communication, let them just be kids again.

All staff members of the Centers are local people who continue living in the towns that still experience shelling and fighting. Despite that, the Centers continue their activities, because we have a common endeavor for which we opened them – helping children and their parents regain a joy of life, forget about hardships, enjoy care and extend helping hand to those around.

Our children spend 3 to 5 hours a day at CPC premises, being engaged in studying, football and volleyball groups, fitness and dancing.

All our attendants can refresh themselves with snacks, fruit and juices.

Special note should be made about clubs where children can not only develop fine motor skills but also gain life skills, learning the arts of bead-weaving, quilling, kneading, original doll broidery, bakery and guitar classes. Photo art studio attracts not only teenagers but also adults.

Sand art, speech therapy and psychological help play a very important part in the life of our CPCs.

Through our CPCs, the local residents have an opportunity to receive humanitarian aid – warm clothing for children 1 to 12 years old – sponsored by UNICEF and GIZ.

Summer camps have faded away. All week long, kids were playing; learning new songs in Russian and English; were doing crafts and made new friends.

This is not over yet. We continue our work, and despite of insecurity in the region, we make plans and hope that the Centers will continue serving as “safety islands” even after our project.