After Sumy, our programme of donating books and board games continued in two key towns: Kramatorsk and Cherkasy.

Kramatorsk, located in Donetsk oblast, is a strategic centre for Ukrainian forces and, as such, a frequent target of enemy attacks. Before the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the town had a population of almost 200,000. Today, it is estimated that only 70,000 to 75,000 people still live there. Despite this difficult context, we have equipped a day centre for children, offering a safe and stimulating space for the youngest.

 Cherkasy, nestling on the banks of the Dnipro river around four hours by bus to the south-east of Kyiv, may be a long way from the front line, but it nevertheless plays a vital role in receiving displaced people. This town offers refuge to those fleeing the combat zones. For this stage, we worked with a municipal centre dedicated to welcoming displaced families, providing them with educational and recreational resources to help them rebuild their lives.

 In addition to the pleasure of reading, our programme aims to strengthen the presence of the Ukrainian language in certain regions of the country. As for board games, they offer children, faced with a traumatic context marked by daily alerts, a precious opportunity to maintain social links with their peers. Even in the air-raid shelters where they often have to go several times a day, these moments of play help to preserve a sense of normality and joy in their daily lives.