UKRAINE: Youth and families receive support through socio-sports schools
Salesians and Real Madrid Foundation collaborate to reach 1,300 people affected by war
(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation have collaborated to provide 600 youth and more than 700 adults with psychosocial and socio-sports activities over the next two years in Ukraine*. The project is funded by the European Union.
The war in Ukraine has continued to cause destruction and pain. More than 14 million people need emergency aid to survive. According to the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, 3.7 million people have been displaced in the country while 6.5 million have fled and are living as refugees. More than five million children have stopped going to school.
In response, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation have joined forces to support children and their families. Two new socio-sports schools will be opened in Vynnyky and Zhytomyr, aimed at youth affected by the Russian invasion.
Both schools started the school year with a total of 220 youth between the ages of 5-17. The goal is to create a safe space for children and their families to learn values, practice sports and receive the psychosocial support they need.
In addition to socio-sports schools, the project will also provide educational and psychosocial support in three centers located in the Lviv region, with workshops and activities aimed at trauma management and strengthening resilience. More than 1,300 people will benefit from this project.
“Soccer is my biggest dream and when I train I feel happy,” explained Kajetan, a 10-year-old boy who had to leave Ukraine after the start of the war and now attends the socio-sports school in Elk, Poland. Through sports, he has rediscovered his childhood.
During the more than two years of war, Salesian missionaries have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of victims and people affected by the war.
The collaboration between Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation began in 2010, with the aim of opening schools in the countries where Salesians work with vulnerable and at-risk youth. There are 22 socio-sports schools, located in 15 countries on three continents, where more than 4,500 youth receive assistance.
###
Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – Ukraine – Two new socio-sports schools to support more than 2,000 children affected by the war
UNHCR – Ukraine Refugee Stats
*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
