Home For Children

K of C chaplain opens centers in southern Ukraine to support war-affected children

By Solomiia Karpiv

Dec. 24, 2024

Teenagers kneeling and standing in front of a Christmas tree — Ukrainian children gather during the Christmas season at House of Happiness, a children’s center managed by the Caritas Beryslav Charitable Foundation in southern Ukraine.

Members of the Parish of the Martyrs of Maccabees, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in Beryslav, Ukraine, are no strangers to change and trauma from war. Last year, the southern Ukrainian city was 95% destroyed by bombings, and the parish was forced to relocate to Velyka Oleksandrivka, a village 65 km (40 miles) to the north.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the parish has been a pillar of support to the community, organizing aid deliveries and other events to assist those in need. In early 2023, the parish opened a HUB — a mercy center for refugees — in Kryvyi Rih, a city that now hosts the largest population of internally displaced persons from the Beryslav region. Those efforts have been aided by the Knights of Columbus, said Father Oleksandr Bilskyi, parochial administrator and chaplain of the parish’s K of C round table.

“Without the help of Knights locally and around the world, we wouldn’t be able to do so much for people,” said Father Bilskyi. “We constantly receive support from them: care packages, hygiene kits, clothing, baby food and medications for our hospital.”

And despite the challenge of relocating, the parish has continued one of its greatest efforts with the help of local Knights: operating two centers for children displaced by war — safe spaces where the children can find solace and reclaim the joy of childhood after enduring the trauma of seeing their communities destroyed.

“When the children first came to us, their drawings were all black — tanks, explosions, soldiers,” recalled Father Bilskyi. “It broke my heart to see how much they had suffered. But over time, their drawings began to change. Now, they draw the sun, green grass and houses. They are healing.”

Recognizing the acute need to support children affected by the war, the parish founded the Caritas Beryslav Charitable Foundation in 2023, with Father Bilskyi as its director. Since then, the foundation has launched two centers for children from Beryslav: the Beryslav Hive of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kryvyi Rih and House of Happiness: Child-friendly Space in Velyka Oleksandrivka, where many evacuees from Beryslav have resettled.

Although small in number, the local Knights have provided invaluable support to the parish’s charitable efforts, said Father Bilskyi. Knights renovated the premises for House of Happiness and now contribute toward its utility costs, while in Kryvyi Rih they cover both utility costs and rent for the Beryslav Hive. Together, the centers currently serve approximately 270 children, from infants to teenagers.

“We don’t have many Knights here, but the ones we do have are active and dedicated,” he said, adding that at the start of the war, many men in the community became involved with the parish where they learned about the Knights. “Recently, [the Knights] donated sweets on St. Nicholas Day, which we plan to distribute [during Christmas] to children who have remained in communities close to the front lines.”

A priest blessing a room with families in it. — Father Oleksandr Bilskyi consecrates the House of Happiness in Velyka Oleksandrivka during its opening on July 12.

With schools, kindergartens and community spaces completely destroyed — and education in the surrounding areas now conducted remotely — children lack opportunities to socialize or make new friends.

At the House for Happiness, programs for children of different age groups offer activities Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each day includes three to four workshops and playtime for younger children. On Saturdays, cooking classes encourage teamwork, responsibility and self-confidence. While children are engaged, parents can attend individual or group counseling sessions through the “Communicating With Love” program, providing families with essential support.

“Our goal [with the centers],” said Father Bilskyi, “is to ensure the war leaves as few scars as possible on their hearts. We want them to experience the simple joys of childhood again.”

The House of Happiness specifically aims to help children process what they have witnessed and experienced during the occupation, overcome stress, build connections with each other, and interact with those around them.

“Our center isn’t a kindergarten or school,” explained Svitlana Kovalenko, a social educator at the House of Happiness. “It feels more like visiting your grandmother’s house. It’s a home, a family. The children now come to us as if they belong here.”

She added, “When one boy’s mother asked him, ‘Why are you acting differently? Why are you so playful in this space?’ he replied, ‘I’m going to the House of Happiness — so I must be happy there!’”

Vitalina Melnychuk, who was evacuated with her two small children when the war broke out, said her 11-year-old son has opened up since he started attending the House of Happiness last summer.

“His caregivers have noticed the progress — how he was when he first arrived and how he is now,” explained his mother.

Every day when Melnychuk’s son finishes his online lessons, he runs over to the parish’s Caritas center to play games and participate in “psychological days” with psychologists and mentors.

“At first, my child was like a prickly hedgehog,” Melnychuk said. “He had witnessed everything, heard the explosions, and became deeply anxious. But when he started attending the House of Happiness, he began to transform. The psychologists, workshops and summer camp trip helped him open up. The memories are still there, but they’ve faded into the background. My child is now flourishing.”

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SOLOMIIA KARPIV writes from Lviv, Ukraine.