Two weeks without shelling and air raids: what a trip to the Carpathians gave to children from Zaporizhia
For children from the front-line Zaporizhia region, a trip to Transcarpathia was an opportunity to spend part of the summer away from air raids, explosions, and constant tension that had long become part of their daily lives. Children living in front-line communities grow up in constant danger every day, so even a short opportunity to leave air raids, explosions, and psychological exhaustion behind is of particular importance. This was the two-week trip to Transcarpathia for the second group of children from Zaporizhia region who returned home after participating in the Carpathian Change project.
Two weeks in a safe environment
For 14 days, boys and girls residenced among the Carpathian Mountains, where they could spend time without constantly waiting for air raid sirens. The recreation program combined health improvement, active leisure and acquaintance with the cultural heritage of the western part of Ukraine. For children from a region that constantly suffers from Russian attacks, such a change of scenery was an opportunity to regain strength and fill the summer holidays with new impressions.
The project provided not only a stay in nature, but also meaningful leisure, thanks to which the participants of the shift discovered new places for themselves every day and got acquainted with the history of Transcarpathia.
One of the most striking parts of the program were trips to historical and natural locations. The children visited Palanok Castle, Lake Synevyr, walked through the picturesque places of Mukachevo, participated in sports events, swam in the pool and held football matches. A separate episode was meetings with Ukrainian artists, who also left pleasant memories.
Eleven-year-old Dmytro said that he was most impressed by the excursion to Palanok Castle, and the trip to Synevyr was memorable for the beauty of nature and mountain landscapes. The sports part of the vacation was no less interesting for the boy, because the camp had enough time for swimming and football games.
The vacation that the children were waiting for the most
For many participants in the trip, the greatest value was not individual excursions or entertainment, but the opportunity to spend two weeks in a calm atmosphere. Ten-year-old Viktoriya Boychuk admitted that first of all she wanted to take a break from the air raids, at least for a short time. During her stay in Transcarpathia, she saw the Carpathians, walked near Lake Synevyr, tasted colorful honey for the first time, and returned home with a desire to visit this camp again.
Such trips allow children to change, at least for a while, their usual environment, filled with constant emotional tension, to a space where summer vacations are spent in communication, travel, and active leisure.
Parents note changes in children’s emotional state
Among the families of project participants, many are military personnel, employees of the National Police, the State Emergency Service, and the National Guard. Parents say that after returning, children willingly share their impressions of the trip, recall excursions, new acquaintances, and events that have become especially memorable for them.
Iryna Naumenko, who works in the National Police and raises two sons, noted that the trip gave the children a chance to take a break from the environment in which they live at home. According to her, in addition to rest, the boys had the opportunity to get to know the historical heritage of Ukraine better and returned with a lot of positive emotions.
Similar impressions were shared by a serviceman of the National Guard, Alla Polishko. After returning, her nine-year-old daughter Nastya talked about traveling to different cities, football events, concerts and meeting with Ukrainian singer Dzidzho, from whom she received an autograph on a T-shirt.
The second shift is over, the project continues
As part of the “Carpathian Change” project, 200 children from Zaporizhia region have already spent their holidays in Uzhgorod. Director of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration Svitlana Lysenko reported that the children returned home rested, and parents noted positive changes in their emotional state after two weeks of being away from constant threats.
At the same time, the summer health campaign continues in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Before the start of the season, children’s institutions prepared in accordance with the new Sanitary Regulations, which establish enhanced requirements for the arrangement of shelters, the quality of drinking water, laboratory environmental control, the work of medical stations and the conditions of children’s stay.
As of June 30, 83 health and recreation facilities are operating in the Carpathian region. Among them, there are 19 out-of-town camps, 27 day-care facilities, three labor and recreation camps, three tent camps, and 31 other facilities, including private estates and hotel and recreation complexes. During the summer season, they host children from different regions of Ukraine, providing conditions for recreation and meaningful leisure.
