Voices of Children Raised Over $50,000 During the Christmas Campaign to Support Children in Sumy and Chernihiv

Author:

Anastasia Poleshko

The Voices of Children charitable foundation raised $54,424 during its Christmas fundraising campaign to provide psychological and psychosocial support for children in Sumy and Chernihiv.
We exceeded the initial fundraising goal set at the beginning of the campaign, with all contributions received by January 2025. Private donors, organizations, charitable foundations, and caring individuals joined the effort. Among them was Romanian stand-up comedian Victor Pătrășcan, who raised approximately €11,000 during his performances in Kyiv and Lviv. The funds will be directed towards psychological and psychosocial support for children living in the frontline areas of Sumy and Chernihiv.

In Sumy, a "Voices of Children" mobile team, consisting of three specialists—a coordinator and two psychologists—has been working for three months. They organize creative and play-based activities for children and are gradually expanding the range of services offered.

Voices of Children Raised Over $50,000 During the Christmas Campaign to Support Children in Sumy and Chernihiv — Image 1

Voices of Children Raised Over $50,000 During the Christmas Campaign to Support Children in Sumy and Chernihiv — Image 2

In Chernihiv, the foundation operates a center that has been providing support to parents and children for the past two years. Services include psychological consultations, group and individual therapy sessions, art and sand therapy activities, as well as other therapeutic and recreational events.

As part of the Christmas campaign, the foundation also delivered gifts to several hundred children who attend its centers across the regions. We are excited to share more details about each initiative.

Packages from Voisyk

The Voices of Children charitable foundation teamed up with partners to bring warmth and joy to children from socially vulnerable groups. These include children whose parents are combat veterans, have been killed, are missing, or are held as prisoners of war, as well as children from internally displaced families and those who have lost their homes due to the war.

Together, they prepared 500 gift packages from Voisyk, the foundation's cat mascot. Each package included a power bank, a coloring book, a sticker pack, a magnet, a silicone bracelet, a stress-relief toy, a postcard, and some treats.

Your attention and care bring joy and warmth during this special time. The children said they would place these gifts under the Christmas tree,

— shared one of the messages sent by parents.

Our child is thrilled!

— another family expressed.

Gifts for the Children of Soldiers

This Christmas, we also delivered gifts to 75 children of military personnel—wounded soldiers, the missing, prisoners of war, and those who have died. Among them is 8-year-old Daniil from Vinnytsia, whose dream came true. Daniil lives with his mother and older sister. His father, a defender of Ukraine, was killed in April 2022. One of the few things left from his father is a pair of binoculars. Daniil treasures this memory and often looks at the stars through them. However, the boy had long dreamed of owning a real telescope. This Christmas, his wish was granted by an American, one of the leaders of an organization that supports Ukraine.

The telescope was delivered along with a heartfelt postcard that moved the boy to tears: "Mom, even abroad they know my dad is a hero!"

These surprises came to life thanks to the support of our partners. In addition to the foundation's team, private donors and Ukrainian businesses helped prepare and send individual gifts.

As a reminder, there are currently 13 Voices of Children centers operating in Ukraine, where families can receive free individual or group consultations with a psychologist. Additionally, mobile teams are active in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, and Sumy.