**Ukraine’s Forgotten Children: A Summer Camp Provides Solace to Kids with Missing Parents**
In a small village in western Ukraine, a group of children gathered around a campfire, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames. They held candles and shared stories of their missing loved ones. Among them was 15-year-old Dima, whose father had joined the military and left for the front line on the day Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Dima’s story is not unique. According to the Ukrainian government, more than 70,000 people are officially listed as missing. Many of these individuals were soldiers who went missing in action or were taken captive by Russian forces. Their families, including children like Dima, are left with uncertainty and trauma.
**A Pioneering Summer Camp**
The charity Gen.Ukrainian has set up a pioneering summer camp for children like Dima, who have experienced the trauma of having a parent go missing during the war. The camp provides a safe space for these kids to share their stories, express their emotions, and receive support from trained psychologists.
“This type of trauma is maybe the most difficult to work with,” said Vanui Martirosyan, lead psychologist at Gen.Ukrainian. “Many of these children have multiple traumas because not only are their fathers missing, but some of them have uncles and grandmothers missing too.”
The campfire activity is a kind of group therapy session, where the children can share their experiences and emotions in a safe and supportive environment. The psychologists use art therapy, color charts, and other techniques to help the kids express themselves and work through their trauma.
**A Day in the Life**
I had the opportunity to speak with Dima and several other children at the camp. Each of their stories was unique, but they all shared a common theme of uncertainty and fear. Nastia, a 16-year-old girl from Kharkiv, told me about her father, who was also a soldier. He disappeared around a year ago on the front line, and she last saw him two weeks before he went missing.
“I remember only the good things about Dad,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears. “I hope we can make new memories with him again.”
The camp also offers the kids a chance to catch up on sleep, uninterrupted by air-raid sirens, and to just have fun and play. There are regular trips to the swimming pool, hikes, and games of volleyball.
“It’s important for the body to make movements in order to heal the trauma,” explained head psychologist Vanui.
**A Humanitarian Catastrophe**
The scale of the task facing Gen.Ukrainian is overwhelming. Millions of Ukrainian children are traumatised by war, and this is a humanitarian catastrophe. The charity’s founder, Oksana Lebedieva, said that every child at their camps has tears in their eyes when it’s time to go home.
“Maybe for the first time in their lives, they’ve found people who went through the same experience,” she said. “And it’s very important. Group therapy is more important than anything – to see you’re not alone with the pain.”
As I left the camp, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope and despair. The children at this summer camp are just a small fraction of the millions of Ukrainian kids who have been affected by war. But for now, they have found solace in each other’s company.
**Read more:** [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx0ex5v437o](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx0ex5v437o)
