Give the Ukrainian children a break from the war
Intro & overview
The children of Ukraine have been particularly stressed by the war implications.
Our mission was to give a break from the war to as many Ukrainian children as possible. Thus, we have offered a 10-day paid trip to attend the Scouts Jamboree Camp and to go sightseeing in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"Give the Ukrainian children a break from the war" was the starting point for a comprehensive effort to help several Ukrainian children enjoy a summer holiday in Denmark, away from the horrors of the war. We partnered with the Ukrainian Scout organisations NOSU & AUG – and the Danish Scout organisations DDS & KFUM.
We aimed to help 200+ Ukrainian scouts from 12-14 years of age from the different cities: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Peregonivka, Sviapetrivske & Chernivtsi.
The main advocate for this arrangement was Jakob Dalhoff, a member of Lviv International Rotary Club in Ukraine, with financial support from Charlottenlund Rotary Club and Glostrup Vestegnens Rotary Club in Denmark, as well as private individuals and foundations.
Everything started with a dialogue with Anne Sandbeck, a long-time member of the Danish Scout Movement and the Danish contact person for the Ukrainian children.
When the scouts in Ukraine contacted the camp in Denmark regarding the possible participation, Anne and Martin Duus investigated the possibilities for funding.
The scout movement’s good network has created financial opportunities for the total of two Ukrainian scout organizations attending the camp in total.
Trip to Copenhagen
Upon arrival to Denmark, the first day of the trip was allocated to go sightseeing in Copenhagen. The children were taken on a canal crouse, went to see Amalienborg Castle and afterwards visited Tivoli amusement park. The big ”aha” experience was to see many cyclists on the streets of Copenhagen.
During the next 7 days, the children participated in the International Jamboree 2022 Scout Camp in Hedeland Naturpark.
The main activity. The Jamboree Scouts Camp
From the 23rd of July to the 31st of July, 2022, 40,000 scouts and guides from all over the world moved to the scenic nature site Hedeland Naturpark, situated in Zealand between the municipalities of Høje Taastrup, Greve and Roskilde.
Read more about the Jamboree Scouts Camp here.
With thousands of scouts and guides from all over the world, Jamboree Denmark is the largest jamboree in the Nordic countries.
The jamboree is arranged by the five Danish scout and guide organizations: The Danish Guide and Scout Association, the KFUM Scouts, the Green Girl Guides of Denmark, the Danish Baptist Guide and Scout Association and Danish Scouts of Southern Schleswig.
“We now searched for the children all over the large and fantastic camp with thousands of tents — many tents from the recently ended Roskilde Festival have been also available for the children.”
“The children were happy and welcomed. We met Sasha, Lida, Oksana, and all the other girls and boys — chatty, full of life, and grateful for the fantastic experience we are giving them here in Denmark. They told us about life in the shadow of the war, about the fathers who are gone, soldiers at the front, some of them wounded."
"While we were talking to the children, several Danish F-16 planes suddenly flew over the area, and the children ducked inevitably. The shadows of the war still lurk!"
"The children are provided with full meals and pocket money. We followed them to a small supermarket, where they could use their small wristband SKEJSER, which was used as a form of bank card. In the camp, normal means of payment are not used."
"Our fantastic conversation with these children ended with everyone giving us gifts they had brought from Ukraine. Karl Ib and I will never forget this day, says Foundation committee chairman Bjarne Krasnik!"
Part of the text is based on a report written by the two Rotary members, Karl Ib Roed Sørensen and Bjarne Krasnik, who visited the children at the camp.
During their week-long stay, they had the opportunity to greet a number of prominent guests - including Danish Princess Benedikte, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, etc. Furthermore, they had the opportunity to greet children and young people from all over the world.
After sponsoring the 115 children to visit Denmark, we, fortunately, had money left to help even more Ukrainian children get a break from the war.
Afterwards, we sponsored a trip for:
- 26 children going from Ukraine to Croatia
- 8 children going from Ukraine to Portugal
- 11 children going from Ukraine to Sweden
There is no doubt this break from the war has made a huge difference. The children had a great experience and have been deeply grateful for this opportunity
They send their warmest and most loving greetings to all of you who have helped make it possible.
The MatchOffice and its CEO, Jakob Dalhoff, indulged a sincere hope that the project has become successful and eventually changed the lives of thousands of young minds for the better.
They are the future of the world, and taking care of the future is our responsibility.
