Pidkamin is a small village in the Zolochiv district of Lviv region. Like most small settlements, it has an atmospheric feel due to the close social ties inside the community: the entire population here volunteers to weave military camouflage nets, cook and send canned food to the frontline areas, organize fairs and fundraisers, and support soldiers.
But Pidkamin, which is administrative center for 33 small settlements, also has its own difficult specifics: it is a non-industrial and agricultural area with a high unemployment rate and a large number of socially vulnerable people. Pidkamin is home to 1736 people, and the territorial community as a whole has 10564 people (1457 children).
The economic weakness of the region leads to crisis situations in many families, that’s why they are now in the focus of the charitable organization Caritas Pidkamin, which is the only humanitarian foundation in the region. At the end of October 2024, at the invitation of Zoryana Lukavetska, Head of the Education, Formation and Child Protection Program of Caritas Ukraine, Caritas Pidkamin was visited by Mateja Prevolšek, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Slovenia to Ukraine. Ms. Ambassador had the opportunity to see the activities of the project “Child-Friendly Space for war-affected children in Pidkamin, Ukraine” funded by Caritas Slovenia.
Being a friend to a child
250 children and their parents or guardians are beneficiaries of the Child Friendly Space at Caritas Pidkamin. These are children raised in internally displaced families, military families, large families with 3 or more children, low-income families and other families in crisis.
Caritas Pidkamin also takes care of children with special educational needs. In particular, 35 boys and girls who are wards of the specialized Pidkamin boarding school with vocational training for children with hearing impairments.
These children are often exposed to negative environmental influences, have problems with socialization, poor academic performance, and various psychological problems, so within the current project, Caritas Ukraine and local partner Caritas Pidkamin provide them with comprehensive educational, inclusive, and protection services to mitigate the difficulties they face and help them better adapt to life.
“The overall goal of the project is to provide protection services and create an inclusive safe space for play, non-formal education and development of children affected by the war through the functioning of the Child Friendly Space,” explains Anna Kilas, project manager of Caritas Ukraine.
The work of the Space has two formats: a stationary center for inclusive development and non-formal education at Caritas Pidkamin and mobile outreach in rural communities. Children have the opportunity to visit the Space on a regular basis – a special psychosocial support program has been developed for them and there are groups of different ages, such as “Preschooler”, “Smart kids”, a creative workshop, and others.
Finding an approach and a way to everyone
The project “Child-friendly space for war-affected children in Pidkamin, Ukraine” employs six specialists: a psychologist, a social pedagogue, an animator, a coordinator, a driver, and an accountant.
“All of them are professional and responsible workers,” says Anna Kilas, Caritas Ukraine’s project manager. ”The coordinator, for example, knows sign language and can find an approach to children with hearing impairments and work creatively with them. Ambassador Mateja Prevolšek attended such a lesson and was able to learn a few gestures and communicate with the children.”
Specialists of the Space are involved in a mobile team that visits other villages. Caritas Pidkamin works with the population of rural communities in Lviv, Ternopil, and Rivne regions. “Most of these settlements are located at a great distance from cities and district centers, so they are quite isolated and lack access to quality services. That’s why having a separate driver, vehicle, and fuel costs is a very important component of the project’s sustainability,” explains Anna Kilas.
During the visits, classes on psychosocial support for children are held. Social pedagogues and psychologists teach the children to understand themselves and their own needs, manage anger and time, think creatively and unconventionally, work in a team, and more.
Working together for the benefit of children
Caritas Pidkamin has managed to unite the most important and biggest institutions in the community: The Pidkamin secondary school, the Pidkamin boarding school with vocational training, and the Pidkamin psychoneurological boarding house. The inclusiveness of the Child Friendly Space is one of the main features of this project.
“We never single out the children we work with,” they say at the Caritas Space, ”When we have workshops, festive events or joint movie watching, everyone is invited. Children who have special educational needs are always accompanied by teachers who can help them when necessary.”
The director of Caritas Pidkamin, Father Mykhailo Bakai, invited the heads of partner educational institutions to a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Slovenia to Ukraine Mateja Prevolšek. The event was held with the assistance of Bohdan Butynskii, Head of the Pidkamin Village Council, who told about the successful and multilateral cooperation with Caritas, the socio-demographic situation of the community and the challenges posed by the war.
In her turn, Ambassador Mateja Prevolšek emphasized the importance of cooperation and thanked for directing efforts and support to small territorial communities that do not have as many opportunities as large cities. She said that she is trying to find time to personally visit as many communities, towns and villages in Ukraine as possible to familiarize herself with the situation of the local population and learn about their needs.
Helping as many children as possible
Caritas Pidkamin operates in a rented building and has only three rooms suitable for providing social services. The Child Friendly Space is currently well equipped, but it cannot accommodate more than 10-15 children.
In order to change this situation and work with as many children as possible, Father Mykhailo Bakai began construction of a large room on the territory of the parish church.
Ms. Mateja Prevolšek, Ambassador of Slovenia to Ukraine, visited this location and was pleasantly surprised by its design, spaciousness and good lighting, which is provided by panoramic windows overlooking the tourist attraction of the village – the Stone Giant.
“Finding resources to complete the construction remains a challenge. At the moment, all construction work is carried out by volunteers: Caritas Pidkamin employees themselves or their relatives,” explains Anna Kilas, project manager of Caritas Ukraine.
Caritas Pidkamin has plans to continue the project “Child-Friendly Space for war-affected children in Pidkamin, Ukraine”. The foundation already has unique experience in organizing social work, in particular, working with children, families and people with disabilities, but it also knows how to unite those who care, establish cooperation at different levels and make a significant contribution to strengthening community cohesion.
If you would like to donate to Caritas Ukraine and support the charity project, please follow this link: https://caritas.ua/donate/
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