The National Federation of the Past Pupils and Friends of Don Bosco has organised an 11-day trip in Malta for 10 orphaned children coming from Ukraine.
The war between Ukraine and Russia has been going on for just over five months and it is having a dramatic impact on orphaned children. The Salesians of Don Bosco are trying their utmost to support them in the best possible way.
“We brought these children to Malta to give them a good experience and help them relieve their pain and trauma as a result of the war in Ukraine,” the National president of the Past Pupils and Friends of Don Bosco, Bryan Magro, told this newsroom.
The Salesians of Don Bosco have been looking after young Ukrainian orphans since the outbreak of the war last February. Forty-eight orphan children are under the Salesians’ care in Ukraine, and thanks to them, these children and youths are being helped at borders to find homes in countries such as Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.
Together with the Maltese National Federation of Past Pupil and Friends of Don Bosco, the organisations decided to organise an 11-day trip for a group of Salesian teenage boys, aged between 14 and 17 from Ukraine, who are now living in Salesian homes in Slovakia.
Ten young people are being given the opportunity to enjoy a well-needed break in Malta with activities and daily English lessons for their enjoyment. Accommodation, flights and all other costs, such as food and activities are all being covered by the federation.
Magro highlighted a number of factors he hopes to get out of this experience for the children.
“Throughout this 11-day trip, we hope to teach them English as we believe that English is a very important language for any child’s future in Europe, which give them more opportunities. We also hope that this experience will serve as a break for them as well as a memorable and fun one,” Magro said.
He explained that psychologists, who were brought in by the Don Bosco Federation, instructed them to create a programme for the children which involved some time to relax.
The children are being provided with therapy by psychologists due to the trauma they experienced during the war.
“Consequently, we also hope that this experience will help them deal with their hurt and trauma because in life we all go through a number of positive and negative experiences, which ultimately balance each other out in some way or another,” Magro said.
Magro mentioned that during their stay in Malta, the children are participating in a number of activities such as laser tag, visits to Popeye Village, Comino, Ħaġar Qim and Gozo, BBQs organised with other Ukrainian people as well as a dinner organised by people who will cook Ukrainian food. The aim is to maintain the element of home for these children as much as possible.
A group of children from Ukraine, aged between seven and 12 years, have also been taken for a trip to Italy to offer the children a similar experience to the one being offered in Malta.
‘You can see the trauma on the children’s faces due to the war’
Speaking about the children’s journey during the war, Magro said that they know each other as they have been together from the start.
“They are family to one another and they find comfort and solace due to what they have all gone through. At the moment, they only have each other, no one else,” Magro said.
He highlighted that “although one can clearly see the trauma in their eyes, their approach towards this experience is a very positive one. The most prominent challenge is the language barrier because it is very difficult to communicate.”
“These children are also living a life of uncertainty which will leave a long-term imprint on their life. They are sometimes victims of abuse and violence that occurs within the family and victims of war as well,” Magro added.
‘A change in law in Ukraine made it quite challenging to get the children to Malta’
Meanwhile, Magro also noted that it was quite challenging to get the children to Malta due to the laws and regulations imposed by Ukraine.
“At the time of booking, we did not require any travelling permits for the children. However, a change in law was issued in June which required orphaned children to get consent from the government if they’d like to travel to another European country.
During the interview, Magro shared a heartbreaking anecdote. He explained that once he was having dinner and someone slammed a door. As a reaction towards the sound, a nine-year-old, who was siting right beside him, went under the table to seek shelter as he feared that it was a bomb.
He also recalled how in one of the buildings that takes in Ukrainian refugees in Ukraine, the children present wanted the playroom to be in the basement, as they did not feel safe to have it anywhere else.
Speaking on how Magro envisions these children to live their life in the next five years, he expressed his concern for the children’s education because due to the war, this has been disrupted, thus, they have missed out on a lot and have, as a result, fallen behind.
“Our hope is that, eventually, they will go back to Ukraine as it is ultimately their home. They are too young to decide to live in another country,” Magro said.
If anyone would like to donate and support the Bosco Charity campaign for Ukrainian orphans can due so through https://friendsofdonbosco.com/campaigns/help-ukrainian-orphans/, through Paypal or by a direct bank transfer: Nat Fed of Past Pupils & Friends of Don Bosco, 14, St John Bosco Street, Sliema. Lombard Bank, 88, St Sebastion Street, Qormi; MT75LBMA05000000000117238123404; LBMAMTMT