Launching hopes of Donbass's children in the future

The second stage of the campaign held to help children living and studying on the line of collision in the East of Ukraine "Common Future through Common Books" has ended.

The second stage of the campaign held to help children living and studying on the line of collision in the East of Ukraine "Common Future through Common Books" has ended at June. Not only has it become international, it has also created a new partnership in a wider range of support issues for these children.

The initiator of the charitable project is Anna Gorban’, head of the public organization "Intelligent Future of the Nation", initiator of the "Common Future through Common Books" campaign and the holder of the titles "Mrs. Planet 2018" and "Mrs. Ukraine 2018". The first stage of this action took place in February 2019. 1463 books were collected, which Anna transferred to three schools in the Join Forces Operation area: Avdiivka, Zaitseve, Svitlodarsk. During school meetings, Anna not only handed over books, but also talked with children and teachers about their lives in the front line, elementary rules of safety and first aid in crisis situations, and finally about their dreams.

At the second stage of the campaign, Ukrainians from the US, France, Poland, and Greece joined the campaign of books collection. Social activists from other countries Mrs. Ethiopia 2018 Fethiya Mohammed Seid and Mrs. Estonia 2017 Trin Lindau were invited by Anna Gorban’ to the trip to the Join Forces Operation area. They came there to communicate with the children, to hand over the books collected by Ukrainians and agree on joint projects to help these children. This time the route was through Klenovo and Zaitseve.

The choice of colleagues was not accidental. After all, Trin Lindau's main activity is work on risk prevention among children. Together with partners, she holds lectures at schools where they talk with children about alcohol, tobacco, drugs and the risks of their consumption. She also has experience working with parents and teachers in restoring and preventing the health of children - mental and physical.

Fethiya Mohammed Seid in her country deals with the consequences of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War from 1998-2000 with those children who were on the territory of armed conflicts. Her Ethiopian experience can be very useful for Ukraine. After all, as Fethiya told at a final press conference, according to the estimates of the Ethiopian Government, 250,000 Eritreans were displaced during the war, 30.000 of which were children; 75,000 people of Eritrean origin were deported from Ethiopia, 14.000 of which were children and 315,000 Ethiopians were displaced, 60.000 of which were children.

“The fact that today children are suffering from war and displaced is the thing that both Ethiopia and Ukraine are suffering from”, said Fethiya Mohammed Seid, Mrs. Ethiopia 2018, and a volunteer, - “and if Ukraine fights with Russian insurgents at its borders, then Ethiopia faces ethnic violence in the country. In both cases, children become the greatest victims and need all the support that we can provide them”.

Therefore, there is a need for projects for children in affected areas to help them cope with the traumas they have in the wake of war. At the same time, there is a need for projects that care for displaced children to provide these children with their basic needs for safe housing, nutrition, access to basic health care and education so that their future is not spoiled by war.

Already in her address to the UN Secretary-General during the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March of this year Anna Gorban’ stressed: "The war continues in our country and those children who were born when this war began, will go to school two years later. These children distinguish types of shots by sound. This is a big problem for our country. Our children must live and develop their talents under a peaceful sky above their heads”.

Therefore, for this purpose, she will develop her charitable projects and involve participants from different countries of the world.

“Pay attention to this photo, Anna said during telling about the trip. “It shows how we launch the plane together with Nikita, who is six years old. From the first years of his life, he already knows what it means to hide in the basement with his parents in order to survive! Now he lives in conditions that are shocking for many people, but normal in his understanding.

However, children need a peaceful sky above their heads. Every day of life, and especially children’s lives, should be filled with happiness. To do this, we need to put all the efforts!”