At the sight of trainers to take them away from her Butch and their family, the eyes of the children did not darken, but shone. So far, every movement away from the place of birth may have had a negative sign, but the cars that the young Ukrainians boarded on August 3 have come … forever.

“Usually, when children leave for the camp, they cry, saying goodbye to their parents. This time, however, not a single tear was shed.” “K” is transmitted by Mrs. Irina Bortnik.Admission Program Coordinator Ukraine in Greek private camps. The fighting spirit of the kids was not shaken by the long journey that they had to make on the road – only two and a half days – not a single night in the car due to lack of resources.

“When we announced the Greek initiative to families, there was a lot of excitement. Spending a few days in Greece after the horrors of the war seemed like a dream,” comments Anna Tysenko, consul of Ukraine in Greece, commenting on the extremely difficult bureaucratic operation. Similar hosting offers were made by most European and neighboring countries of Ukraine.

“However, the offer made by the Panhellenic Association of Private Initiative Camp Operators through the Hellenic Ministry of Immigration was the most generous,” notes Ms. Bortnik. “Other countries have accepted a maximum of 100 children per month, but you will receive 427 children directly from Ukraine in August and another 173 who are already living in Greece.”

“Usually, when children leave for the camp, they cry, saying goodbye to their parents. This time, however, not a single tear was shed.”

Little Ukrainians with their companions have been in Halkidiki, Kalamata, Kalamos, Sofiko since last Friday. “The logic is to have enough children so that they can communicate with each other and also interact with other children,” she comments. The first surprise was the Greek menu. “In Ukraine, we give them soup for lunch, arguing that it is very useful,” Ms. Bortnik admits, “but here they were not even given a sample of the soup, which pleased them, because there are many counter offers. tastier.” Not all camps have access to the sea, “however, we are thinking about organizing excursions so that everyone can admire the Greek sea,” he adds.

“Their impressions are excellent,” he answers a reasonable question, “and just because they can sleep peacefully, without the siren interrupting their sleep and not having to rush to the shelter, they feel relieved.” Recall that in Butsa, as in other cities near Kyiv (for example, in Irpin), the most serious war crimes were committed. “The images that have captured the eyes of children in recent months are incredibly cruel,” the consul emphasizes. Thus, it is explained that the sound of the plane echoing through the territory of the Skouras sports camp was enough to cause panic among the young campers. “Suddenly, they all fell to the ground,” describes Mr. Dimitris Skouras, who had long been preparing to receive the children.

“I gave them the best air-conditioned dorms with their own bathroom. I wanted them to feel comfortable in our camp,” he notes. The camp in question is attended by 42 children and 12 escorts and welcomes children from all over the world. “I have been working with Ukrainians for more than 15 years and this year I considered it my sacred duty to offer some children a few days of rest,” he explains. “Language is difficult for us, but children find other ways to communicate – they communicate with signs, play group games for hours, dance and laugh.”

“Maybe two weeks without a war is not long, but I am absolutely sure that the warmth and love that children have found in Greece from the first moment will help restore their faith in the future,” Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Shutenko said upon arrival. “We can give a few moments of joy and carelessness and lay a stone to build a promise of strong friendship,” added Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum Sophia Vultepsi.

Total 600 entries

On Friday, August 5, the first group of children from Ukraine arrived in Greece to be accommodated in camps throughout the country. These are 117 schoolchildren aged 6 to 15, along with 22 adult escorts from Butsa, a city near Kyiv, which became famous for its atrocities. The accommodation offer is an initiative of the Panhellenic Union of Private Initiative Camp Operators, which has submitted its proposal to the Ministry of Immigration. The generous offer was accepted by both the Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum in charge of integration, Sophia Vultepsi, and the Ambassador of Ukraine Sergiy Shutenko. The convoy passed Promachonas and was stationed for one night as part of Sintika. Their internal movements in Halkidiki, Attica and the Peloponnese were taken over by trainers from the International Organization for Migration. In total, 600 children will take part in the program until the end of August, including those who have been living in Greece for the past few months. This is the most crowded project, since the placement of a small number of children from Ukraine in the camps is also organized by the municipalities.