Rehabilitation Program
for the Children
of Fallen Heroes

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Healing children's war wounds together.

To date, over 13,000 Ukrainian children have been orphaned or deprived of parental care due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.* Tragically, 1,920 children are still missing, and 19,546 have been deported or forcibly misplaced. The true extent of the impact on these young lives continues to unfold as the Russian full-scale invasion persists.

*according to the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine

Our solution: We unite to heal children of Ukraine.

Our donors are now eligible to receive tax receipts!

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Learn more about our Rehabilitation Program on the YVR Screen Scene Podcast

Olga Prodan is the founder of the Ukrainian Canadian Advocacy Group and chief architect of the Rehabilitation Program for the Children of Fallen Heroes. In this special episode of the YVR Screen Scene Podcast – recorded on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine – Olga speaks with host Sabrina Rani Furminger about her work with the children of fallen heroes, what it’s been like to travel between Vancouver and Ukraine during the war, and her vivid memories from February 24, 2022.

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Our donors are now eligible to receive tax receipts!

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Accommodation + Food

30% goes to accommodation in the recreational area of the Carpathian Mountains and four nutritious meals per day. The meals are designed to suit each child's individual needs, and have been specially developed by a nutritionist for the restoration of nervous system.

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Psychological support

24% goes to psychological support, including: MAC (metaphorical associative cards); Storytelling Therapy; Mandalas; Body-Oriented Psychotherapy; Aromatherapy; Art Therapy (pottery, drawing, etc); Game Therapy, Dance Therapy while also working with the child’s emotions and the ability to voice and express their feelings.

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Traveling

22% goes to excursions and sightseeing: mountain hikes; visits to the zoo, cheese factory, Hutsul Land Bukovel, and DinoPark; other adventures in the Carpathians. Three educational excursions to the Ukrainian Carpathians to learn more about the history and ancestors.

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Activities

24% goes to activities, including: English lessons; Active Play: Acrobatics, Sports, Dance Therapy, and Drama Classes. Skilled counselors teach the kids to draw and work with beads and pottery,
develop leadership, learning of new skill sets and confidence building.

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Our Goal for 2024-2025 is to help 500 kids. We are now at 300.

About the Rehabilitation Program for the Children of Fallen Heroes

In July 2022, the Rehabilitation Program for the Children of Fallen Heroes was launched by Olga Prodan, the founder of UCAG, who has a professional background as a psycho-social rehabilitator prior to the war in Ukraine.

The rehabilitation program was created with the immediate goals of providing psychological stabilization and physical recovery for children who have lost parents fighting in the Ukrainian-Russian war. The program is held in a unique nature reserve in the Carpathian Mountains, where the spacious forests, clean mountain rivers, and fresh air play a special role in rehabilitating children and fostering their well-being.

The Carpathian Mountains and hiking are of particular importance in the course of rehabilitation. During the two-week program, the children participate in hikes with changing weather patterns, learn to conquer various peaks, overcome obstacles, and feel the power of nature through their own experiences, waiting to be filled with the greatness of the Carpathians and discover new friends along the way.
A friendly atmosphere plays a significant role in rehabilitation
and directly affects children's mental health.

Children who have lost their father or mother in the war are particularly vulnerable, and such the atmosphere in which they are located is based on equality, care, safety, and friendship, characterized by exceptional support from professional counselors on hand. To be able to communicate within a safe space openly is critical, especially between children who have experienced the same grief through the loss of their caregivers. This fosters a healing atmosphere that takes place through the principle of peer-to-peer support under the supervision of educators and psychologists.

FEEDBACKS FROM PARENTS & KIDS

“We sincerely thankful to Olga Prodan and the organizers of the Program.”

You gave children unforgettable emotions in such a difficult period of their lives. This adventure will remain in the children's memory for a long time. May God bless and help you to do such good things for Ukraine.
“Infinite gratitude to you for your care.”

Ms. Olga, you are doing a great job! Sincere joy, positivity, emotions of happiness, experience.. All these the children got from this fantastic trip!
We all have to hold on, no matter how hard it is for us, and our children are gold, this is the future, the future of our independent Ukraine, for which our heroes died! Thank you all, everyone!
“I sincerely thank the sponsors and organizers for your concern and love for our children!”

❤️🤗 The children returned full of emotions and unforgettable impressions. You are incredible, your work is priceless! 😘
“Nastya, Zakhar, Marichka, Maria, Taras and Lizon, you are my cool team!”

Happy children, interesting program, English language, surprises for children, beautiful place, professional photos... I am very glad to meet you. Thank you very much. My child and all our children have been to a fairy tale.
"Thank you very much for such a good program"

The children's emotions are over the top, you are incredible, and you are doing a wonderful job. May the Lord God protect you, peaceful sky, God's blessing you!
"The camp is wonderful, I liked it, and I am thrilled."

The counselors are super friendly, fun, and always helpful. Art therapy and toy therapy conducted by professional psychologists were very beneficial. They talked to us about everything, tried to cheer us up, and made us feel safe and comfortable. I am very happy and grateful to have come to this camp.
"This camp greatly helped me with various issues in my head."

I am Maksym, 17 years old. Here, we learned how to resolve conflicts, develop emotional intelligence, and maintain mental health. This helped me better understand myself and others, use the skills I learned in everyday life, and develop new ones.
I am also very grateful to the counselors and psychologists. They listened to us and helped us with the problems and questions that arose.
"I am very glad that I came to this camp."

I found many new friends and like-minded people. This is the kind of camp that will stay in my heart forever. And I have a dream that one day we will all return to this camp again.
Rostyslav said, "We became so close, we became like one family."

Thank you for organizing a wonderful holiday for our children, as life is very difficult and challenging right now. At least for a little while, they could take a break from it. A huge thank you to the teachers, counselors, and psychologists for their hard work. My child is very happy.
"My daughter says these were the best ten days in a long time!"

We sincerely thank the organizers; you are doing a great and important job! The program's content is very impressive, and I am already looking forward to the report. 💙💛
"My son returned from the vacation with amazing emotions, countless photos, videos, and impressions."

He said he loved it very much and made many new friends. I want to thank everyone involved in organizing this vacation; may the Lord always protect you and your families and grant you strength and good health under a peaceful sky. Sincere thanks for lifting my son's spirits...

OUR PROGRAM

Therapy

Our primary goal is to stabilize the child's psyche through various activities such as fairy-tale therapy, peer-to-peer support, body-oriented psychotherapy, and dance therapy while also working with the child's emotions and the ability to voice and express their feelings.
In addition, art therapy techniques will also be used in working with the children's programs. Additional focus will be provided to work with metaphorical associative maps (MAK), individually and through group work.
Art classes

Various art classes take place with the intention of reducing the level of stress, anxiety, and fear. The kids are encouraged to create mandalas (drawn and voluminous), which help them express their emotions. This allows the children to feel additional comfort within a nourishing atmosphere while being given the space to express and live out their emotions.
Storytelling therapy will also contribute to the children feeling like creators of a new, desired reality, overcoming depressive moods and bringing the child's psyche to a resourceful state.
Building skills

Relaxation sessions will be held in combination with aromatherapy using essential lavender, tangerine, and cedar oils. Comfort and safety are an essential foundation that allows the children to feel like kids again while ensuring their emotional comfort. The methods were sensibly chosen, taking into account their maximum environmental friendliness, safety, and therapeutic value.
An essential component of our rehabilitation camp is the development and learning of new skill sets and confidence building. Skilled counselors teach the kids to draw and work with beads and pottery, while also conducting English lessons, leadership, and acting classes. We have also planned three educational excursions to the Ukrainian Carpathians to learn more about the history.
Accommodation

An essential aspect of this rehabilitation program is the environment in which the children stay. That is why the team selects comfortable, safe, and high-quality locations for its accommodations and rehabilitation centers, and takes an individual approach to the meal plan for each child.