Our programme of board games and children's books continues to unfold in several regions of Ukraine. This time it took us to Sumy, a town in the north-east of the country, close to the border and the Russian region of Kursk, and terribly affected by the war as it is regularly under fire from Russian missiles and drones.

On 1 September, an orphanage and children's rehabilitation centre in Sumy was the target of a missile which injured 18 people, including 6 children (https://united24media.com/latest-news/russian-forces-shell-orphanage-in-sumy-injuring-at-least-four-2042). 

We wanted to help this centre as much as we could.

The Sumy Children's Social and Psychological Rehabilitation Centre (https://centrdety-sumy.at.ua and https://www.facebook.com/sumycentrdity/) is a social welfare institution where children aged between 3 and 18 who have lost their parents, are living in difficult conditions, have been displaced by military operations or are in need of social and psychological rehabilitation receive help. Many of the children at the centre are mentally retarded, with cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Thanks to our donors, first and foremost Andy and Sara Kurtzig and their JAX Fund (https://jaxfund.org)As a result, we were able to deliver dozens of board games and books to the centre, helping to rebuild the recreation rooms, which had been temporarily relocated to another building pending the reconstruction of the centre, which has now been completely destroyed.