16 children whose parents were wounded or killed during Euromaidan or in ATO attend summer camp in London

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Kyiv, July 17, 2015. Tarasivka campus in London has already been operating as a center for children of the Ukrainian Diaspora for half a century. “It happened for the first time last year when we decided to invite children whose families were affected during Euromaidan and children of servicemen wounded or killed in action in the course of the Anti-Terrorist Operation to the campus,” said Tetyana Klymenko, the Project Coordinator of Children of Heroes in Tarasivka and member of the camp’s commission, at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

According to Klymenko, the camp invited 16 children from families affected by the crisis. “Hundreds of children currently live in villages that are far from civilization. They have not seen anything in their life apart from their own village, and they quite likely will not, due to financial problems. Our program is free of charge and is based on volunteer support,” added Klymenko.

Project organizers emphasized that there are several requirements for children who plan to come to the London camp. “Age is the first one. Children aged between 12 and 15 are considered. Priority is given to children whose fathers were killed or wounded in action in the ATO. Also, children born in the East or North of Ukraine have priority,” noted Oksana Zakhorchuk, member of the E+ civic organization Initiative. According to Zakhorchuk, the program only selected 16 children to host last year. The number of children for next year’s program is expected to increase several times over. “There is no precise number at the moment but we plan to expand the program by two or three times,” said Zakhorchuk.

To apply to the camp, go to E+ Initiative Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/helpEplus.