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As missile attacks by Russian armed forces have increasingly struck cities across Ukraine during the month of October, targeting civilian infrastructure as people are taking children to school, the need for child protection services and access to safe spaces for children has never been felt more keenly since the start of the war.
Lviv, the western Ukrainian city located some 60 kilometers from the Polish border, has become a transit point for families fleeing fighting in eastern, southern and central Ukraine. Today, there are more than 10 so called “SPILNO Child spots” supported by UNICEF in the Lviv region. They offer safe spaces for children and their families and the chance to learn, play and make new friends, after months of war.
Since the onset of the war in February 2022, several thousands families have registered in one of the biggest shelters here in Lviv, where they’ve been received by volunteer workers of the football club FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Families staying at the shelter include people who have lost everything, or whose homes are now under Russian occupation. It’s a new start and new friends for the children at the SPILNO spot.
“We do different activities with the children”, explained Yulia Repina, a SPILNO centre staff, working with the children at an integrated Child Spot located in an IDP center in Lviv. “There are sessions with psychologists every Sunday, different classes: painting, football as well. Our objective is to keep them busy because these kids are constantly in stress”,
Yulia and her colleagues are hosting around 50 to 60 children per day. For them, the “SPILNO centres” provide a safe, welcoming space to rest, play and simply be a child, at a time when their world has been abruptly turned upside down in fear and panic, and they are facing the trauma of leaving family, friends, and all what is familiar. They can benefit from psychosocial support such as art therapy from trained staff to meet their unique needs.
“Here we have children who come running from shelling. They are very stressed and we need to keep them busy with something. So that they could take change focus, calm down a bit and rest a little from all these horrors that they saw”, said Yulia Repina.
Some of the families stay here for a couple of days, others will have to stay longer as they lost their documents and need to request new ones before moving onward to other European countries or they try to find a new place to rent in Lviv. On average, the internally displaced people (IDP) stay one month. During that time, children and parents are involved in all the activities at the shelter such as cooking, cleaning, and also sewing military nets.
For Ms Repina “all the children are very cool. Every child is a part of you and this is a bit tiring because they are leaving and they are also sad about it”. She added that “they pass by, write, call us and myself - and this is really great, … but many of them are going abroad and most probably it will be somewhat calmer and safer for them there. This is good.”
-ends-
STORY: SPILNO Child Spot for Ukrainian IDP’s in Lviv - UNICEF
TRT: 2 mins 19s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: UKRAINIAN/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 21 October 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot and traveling, entering Lviv city
- Wide shot, tram passing by
- Wide shot, Lviv mayor’s office with poster of Azuvstal “Free Mariupol Defenders”
- Medium shot, sandbags in front of windows
- Medium shot, cars passing next to war graffiti on the wall
- Wide shot, Lviv city center, pedestrian zone
- Medium shot, lady passing by military nets on sidewalk
- Medium shot, man entering Shelter “FC Shakhtar Donetsk”
- Wide shot, reception of shelter
- Close up, Ukrainian flag
- Close up, poster “Football for Peace” - FC Shakhtar
- Wide shot, people sitting on mattresses
- Medium shot, people sitting on mattresses
- Close up, Teddy on bed
- Medium shot, lady walking in UNICEF Blue dot center
- Medium shot, UNICEF staff talking to a little boy
- SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) – Yulia Repina, SPILNO centre staff: “We do different activities with the children. There are sessions with psychologists every Sunday, different classes: painting, football as well. Our objective is to keep them busy because these kids are constantly in stress”.
- Medium shot, elderly woman cutting clothes for military nets
- Medium shot, women putting clothes together to a military net
- Medium shot, boy showing his game on cell phone
- Wide shot, children playing on the floor
- Close up, painting
- Medium shot, little girl playing puzzle
- Medium shot, UNICEF staff hugging a little girl
- SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) – Yulia Repina, SPILNO centre staff: “Here [we have] children who come running from shelling. They are very stressed and we need to keep them busy with something. So that they could take change focus, calm down a bit and rest a little from all these [horrors] that they saw”.
- Close up, interactive map of fighting on frontlines on screen
- Medium shot, little girl sitting under table
- Medium shot, UNICEF staff hugging girl
- SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) – Yulia Repina, SPILNO centre staff: “All the children are very cool. Every child is a part of you and this is a bit tiring because they are leaving and they are also sad about it. They pass by, write, call us and myself - and this is really great, … but many of them are going abroad and most probably it will be somewhat calmer and safer for them there. This is good.”
- Wide shot, people preparing food in kitchen
- Wide shot, group of boys sitting and eating
- Medium shot, elderly lady sitting and eating
- Wide shot, families having lunch
- Close up, little boy waving into the camera
- Wide shot, exterior, flower in a sandbag on a sidewalk
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