Early Learning for Vulnerable Children in Ukraine

Pottery master class. How to make a Christmas tree out of clay.

Our kids from the Center for Early Development and Creativity "Smile" every week pottery together with the master Anastasia Tiranova-Romanchuk.

For them, this is art therapy, and the development of fine motor skills and imagination, and a great joy! Thank to your support they have classes in pottery.

See on the video what beautiful Christmas trees they have!

Classes in the pottery studio contribute to the psychological and social adaptation of children. Thanks to working with clay, children's imagination develops, teachers help to unleash their creative potential. Children not only see the result of their work, they can gift the things they have made to their loved ones.

Center SMILE is open to our youngest clients, from 2 to 8 years old. Often a family in difficulties cannot afford to pay for private kindergarten or nanny services. The queue for places in Odessa city public kindergartens does not give a chance either.

Links:

• Video

Thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time! We really appreciate it!

The efforts of Way Home Foundation are aimed at ensuring that every child, regardless of the capacities of his or her family, feels happy and has access to quality education, nutrition, development, medical and social services.

Answering COVID-19 challenges

Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine, the government introduced strict quarantine for 2 months throughout the country in the spring of 2020. At this time many people from socially vulnerable families lost their jobs or was forced to take an unpaid leave, caring for children.

During the quarantine, more than half of the parents of our beneficiary children reported that they didn`t have enough money for food, means of protection and medicines, and some of them weren`t even able to pay for rent.

We know from experience that when parents find themselves in a situation of poverty, isolation and uncertainty, in a depressed state, they begin to use alcohol and exhibit aggression, violence, neglecting towards their children, and even break the law. As a result, the family breaks up or marginalizes, reaching the social bottom, and it is very difficult to pull people out from it.

That’s why during and after the quarantine, the Mobile Service of our Foundation was regularly helping 220 low-income families with children in Odesa city with food sets, means of protection against infection, clothes, medicines, doctor's advice.

Early Learning Centers

Following the easing of quarantine restrictions, we reopened our three Early Learning Centers, while observing all sanitary precautions.

Thanks to this, the financial and psychological burden on vulnerable families decreased, the parents of the children were able to find sources of income. Social services are now unable to reach everyone who needs support, and they more often refer them to organizations such as our Foundation.

Thanks to the support of caring people received on GlobalGiving from March to July 2020 we:

- Purchased $1200 worth of food, games and new furniture for the Early Learning Centers.

- Donated all the necessary stationery and backpacks for children from the Centers who went to the first grade of the school - for $ 400.

Unfortunately, the rate of spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine and in the Odesa region is now growing, and the subsequent economic downturn will lead to an increase in the scale of social problems. If we don`t mobilize as much as possible to help vulnerable children, their education, health, mental health and future well-being in general will be at risk. Let's join efforts!

Links:

• Web-site of Way Home