Psychological support, joy from the game, friendship and communication through football were gifted to child refugees and their local peers by the Ukrainian Football Association, Chernivtsi Oblast Football Association, and Novoselytsia Community.

Photo by the press service of UAF

Local schools received a large amount of sports equipment for football events, volunteers were equipped with sportswear, and each child participating in the football festival received a soccer ball, project t-shirt, and participant diploma as gifts.

It should be noted that within the framework of the project, humanitarian aid is provided to families of refugees in the form of medical, food kits, and items of first necessity.

The children were greeted at the central stadium in Novoselytsia by the head of the community Maria Nikorich, vice president of UAF, chairman of Chernivtsi Oblast Football Association Vasyl Orlytskyi, and project coordinator from UAF Yevhenii Stolitenko.

Photo by the press service of UAF

Excellent organizational work was carried out by all local project volunteers and their leader — city council member Ivan Foka, as well as project coordinators from AFCO Serhiy Zadorozhnyak, Oleksandr Plakhov, and Vasyl Balanuk.

The schedule of "Open Football Lessons" is constantly updated:

May 20–21 — Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Dunaivtsi;

May 21–22 — Chernivtsi Oblast, Novoselytsia;

May 23–24 — Ternopil Oblast, Buczach;

May 26–27 — Ternopil Oblast, Zaliztsi;

May 26–27 — Khmelnytskyi city;

May 27–28 — Chernivtsi;

June 11–12 — Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Nadworna.

Photo by the press service of UAF

We remind you of the list of other communities that have joined the project:

Zakarpattia Oblast, Hushty;

Zakarpattia Oblast, Uzhhorod;

Ivano-Frankivsk city;

Lviv Oblast, Sosnovka;

Lviv Oblast, Stryi/Morskyi;

Rivne city;

Rivne Oblast, Ostroh.

All project events are held with the consent of oblast military administrations.

We remind you that in April, special preparatory training for volunteers was conducted in seven regions participating in the project.

Photo by the press service of UAF

The general goal of the "Open Football Lessons" project is to contribute to the protection of children affected by war, unaccompanied children, orphans and other vulnerable children who have been forced to relocate to Western Ukraine (the project is currently being implemented in seven regions — Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi oblasts).

Photo by the press service of UAF

In addition to the general goal, the project has three specific objectives:

— provide immediate humanitarian aid (medical, food and non-food items) to children affected by war and their families;

— provide psychosocial support to children through the powerful social tool of mass football, through games and open football events that will unite the target groups of children with local children;

— provide material and moral support to cross-sectoral networks united by football in western regions of Ukraine in their efforts to help affected target groups of children.

International donors and partners of the project — New Democracy Fund (Denmark), Common Goal (Germany), Cross Cultures Project Association (Denmark).