Along with resolving rehabilitative tasks connected to the health of children who lack material capabilities to renew both their physical as well as moral strength, the UUARC representatives in the city of Lviv pay particular attention on their upbringing in a spirit of patriotism and love for Ukraine.
The programs of relaxation for children provide not only healing in the classical sense of this word, but also cognition of the country's history, her nature, ethnographic characteristics of individual regions of Ukraine, perfecting conversational Ukrainian language, etc.
Over the last 3-4 years, the UUARC's Lviv representatives function as an organizer of mutual exchanges of groups of children between boarding schools in Lviv (boarding schools #102 and #6 of the city of Lviv) on one part and boarding schools of eastern (Latuhino boarding school in the Luhansk region) and southern regions of Ukraine (Sevastopil boarding school #7, Izmayil boarding school in the Odesa region and Ochakiv boarding school in the Mykolayiv region).
During the Christmas holidays, boarding school #102 in the city of Lviv was visited by two groups of children from the Sevastopil and Ochakiv boarding schools. Throughout ten days, 54 children learned Christmas carols, visited Lviv museums and directly participated in the celebrations. The children visited the Oleskyj castle and were guests of children of the Strilkiv boarding school in the Staro-Sambir township. During the Easter holidays (seven days), the administration of Lviv boarding school #102 hosted a group of students (28 persons) of the Latuhino boarding school in the Luhansk region. The program of the Luhansk children's sojourn provided for visiting the Oleskyj castle, the Pochayiv Lavra monastery, the circus, theaters, etc.
The tripartite agreement reached concerning mutual exchanges of children among the Izmayil boarding school and the city of Lviv's boarding school #6 was implemented only in the summertime due to medical quarantines of the city of Izmayil. In June, 18 children from the city of Izmayil in the Odesa region came to Lviv for relaxation. Throughout ten days they enjoyed the beauty of Lviv, visited the Shevchenko Grove and paid their respects at the grave of the great poet Ivan Franko. With great pleasure they broiled potatoes and lard in the forest.
Throughout June-July, the Lviv boarding schools #6 and #102 sent a suitable quantity of children to a corresponding term in Sevastopil, Ochakiv and Izmayil. In Lviv, which is geographically situated on the main European water division, there always existed the problem of water basins, where one could bathe. For Lviv children it was interesting to see the sea, sail on the cutter, fish to one's content…
A trip of Lviv students to Latuhino in the Luhansk region is planned for September.
The UUARC's Lviv representatives organized relaxation and treatment in the city of Truskavets (the children's health resort "Konvaliya") for 36 orphaned children from Izmayil and Luhansk. The health resort is located in the scenic suburb of Truskavets. The camp is surrounded by forest. Scouting equipment, which was purchased in 2002, is being actively utilized. Simultaneously, the children are under constant patronage supervision by doctors.
Throughout 2004, the UUARC's Lviv representatives organized relaxation for 208 orphaned children and children from poor families.
Andriy Dyda
UUARC's office manager in the city of Lviv, Ukraine