So children are trained to help in the war • TV4 News on site in Ukraine
When the tanks rolled into the Ukrainian village of Snihurivka in eastern Ukraine, the children were forced to say goodbye to their safe everyday life and meet the reality of the war.
Instead of play and school days, they must now learn to prepare for dangers and uncertainty.
-I’m waiting for peace so much, to meet my godfather, says 13-year-old Nastia Arhyptsova.
When the village of Snihurivka in eastern Ukraine was occupied, the tanks rolled in and stationed near the residents’ home. For the children in the village of Shyroke, four kilometers away, it became a scary experience.
– It was very nasty. The tanks rolled into our village and stationed close to us, says 13-year-old Nastia ArhyptSsova.
Have to prepare for hazards
The war has changed their everyday lives. Childhood has been replaced by a reality where they have to prepare for dangers.
They are around 20 children who are taught twice a week to survive. They learn heart and lung rescue, to extinguish fires and avoid mines.
The work is run by the aid organization Operation AID, which was started and funded by Swedes after the outbreak of the war.
Now the organization is located in several cities in southern and eastern Ukraine. In total, operations are conducted for over 800 children and survival training in five villages.
Not childhood they deserve
– They are children and they have the right to be just children. They do not have the childhood they deserve, says Marina Zakharchenko, business manager ActiveKids Mykolaiv.
The children learn to deal with serious situations through play. The purpose is to prepare them for the unpredictable – at the same time as it becomes part of their playful world.
– So you talk to the children and they learn to do difficult things, but they do it by playing and it is better for them to learn how to do it, says Marina Zakhakenko.
Heavy bombed school
In the village of Shyroke, the damage after the war is evident. The school is severely bombed and still closed.
When the teaching takes place digitally, interruptions like crisis management are welcome.
– I really like it. I wish they could come here more often and train with us, says one of the children.
But the longing for peace is strong.
– I’m waiting for peace so much, to meet my godfather. I haven’t seen him in three years. This also applies to my cousins, my sister and aunt. I long for them all so much, says 13-year-old Nastia ArhyptSsova.