The New Year holidays are approaching, which children usually look forward to. The closest and, perhaps, the most anticipated is St. Nicholas Day, which is celebrated in Ukraine on December 6. Because on this day, Nicholas gives gifts to those who have been polite and well-behaved all year round.
Despite the Russian aggression, children from frontline outpost communities will also receive gifts from St. Nicholas. This was facilitated by the project “Side by Side: United Communities” and the warmth and support from adults and children from partner communities.
Thus, representatives of the Pidbereztsivska community in Lviv region delivered over 1,000 gifts from St. Nicholas to the Novoslobodsk community of Sumy region, the Kushugum community of Zaporizhzhia region, the Pokrovska community of Dnipropetrovsk region, and the Savynska community of Kharkiv region, as well as to the Krasnosilska community of Odessa region and the Kulykivska community in Chernihiv region. Children from Sumy region have already been on vacation and health improvement in Lviv region before, and now they will receive pleasant surprises and feel the warmth of the holiday.
The Ochakiv City Council of the Mykolaiv region expresses gratitude for the care and attention from the Novodniestrovsky City Council of the Chernivtsi region. The outpost community received stationery for students of educational institutions. This will help children to learn with joy and deepen their knowledge.
Another community from Bukovina, the Nedoboivskyi territorial community, sent gifts to the children of the Bashtanskyi territorial community of the Mykolaiv region. Board games, darts, and sweets were supplemented with handmade cards. These messages emphasize that friends are always there, both in times of trouble and in times of joy.
Of course, it is difficult to celebrate when you hear the sounds of explosions nearby and the alarm signals do not stop. However, preserving our culture and traditions is a very important component of our fight against the enemy. And the attention and care shown by Ukrainian people, being hundreds of kilometers away, is priceless. May Ukrainian children from frontline territories also fully experience the joy of childhood, despite the war. We thank everyone who is making efforts to make this happen.