It has now been over a year since we watched in stunned horror as Russia's heinous attack on Ukraine ushered the world into a new era. So far away, yet so close, the Ukraine conflict, the deadliest since World War II, has permeated our lives and upset the global geopolitical balance. While Russians and Ukrainians are embroiled in a war of attrition with an increasingly uncertain outcome, the 61 Ukrainian children who kleine herzen evacuated with their partners and friends at the end of March 2022, since March 27, 2022 in southern Burgenland.
The environment in which they live is beautiful: in the immediate vicinity of a golf course, surrounded by greenery and trees in a wonderful hilly landscape, there is the former 4-star hotel that Senecura made available for them. 3 children live comfortably in each room with their supervisor.
A year ago the youngest child was only three months old. Most of the children were between six months and four years old. This year about 4 children took their first steps.
It has become her home. Already in the morning we hear the chirping of the little ones on the way to the dining room, where breakfast awaits them.
While the children grow up in a safe and loving environment and develop wonderfully, the situation for the more than 30 caregivers becomes more and more difficult. Homesickness, concern for her family and friends in Ukraine has become a dark shadow that becomes more ominous every day. The desire to return to their home country is growing. However, the current critical situation does not allow this, not yet.
Whenever hopefully peace will come soon and a return is possible, this stay in Austria has shown the Ukrainian caregivers and the director of the orphanage that there are much better ways to enable abandoned children to grow up in love and security. While orphans grew up in 10-bed rooms in the post-Soviet period and were not allowed to experience enough emotional bonding, the children here grow up in small family-like groups, which have an enormously positive effect on their development.
The care team at the orphanage has also recognized this and is determined to establish a similar system in the Ukraine after their return. kleine herzen will also try to use the existing contacts to the responsible Ukrainian authorities to plan this as a future project. On March 25, 2023, the employees of the Ukrainian orphanage in Burgenland together with kleine herzen, representatives of the community and local people, as well as representatives of Senecura and friends of kleine herzen at a meeting last year and jointly expressed the wish for an early end to the war and the return of peace.
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