Important psycho-social football events at the central stadium of the city, which united and brought together children from areas affected by military operations and their local peers, were organized by the Ukrainian Football Association, Khmelnytsky Oblast Football Association, with the support and assistance of the Khmelnytsky Oblast Military Administration and the Department of Education and Science of the Khmelnytsky City Council.

Local schools received a large amount of sports equipment and 150 balls for football events; volunteers were equipped in sportswear, and each child who participated was given a project T-shirt and a participant certificate. The children also received gifts from the Khmelnytsky OVA.

Photo by the press service of UAF

In addition, within the framework of the project, humanitarian aid in the form of medical and food kits as well as first-aid items is provided to families of internally displaced persons.

The event was opened and addressed by the head of the Khmelnytsky Oblast Military Administration, Serhiy Gamaliy, Deputy Head of Khmelnytsky City Council Mykhailo Krivak, Chairman of the Khmelnytsky Oblast Football Association Ihor Khiblin, project coordinator from the Ukrainian Football Association Yevheniy Stolitenko, head of the Department of Youth and Sports of the Khmelnytsky City Council Serhiy Remes, and director of Khmelnytsky DYSH No. 1 Vasyl Yanik.

Photo by the press service of UAF

They greeted the participants — children, teachers and volunteer coaches representing 12 local educational institutions:

— Special secondary school No. 1 and physical education teacher Oleksiy Horenko;

— Educational complex No. 2 and Serhiy Danilyuk;

— Special secondary school No. 8 and Danylo Terletskyi;

— Educational complex No. 10 and Olena Maslyanko and Mykhailo Smykha;

— Special secondary school No. 12 and Taras Mykhalkiv;

— Secondary school No. 14 and Vitaliy Kostomakh;

— Vocational college named after V. Kozubnyk and Vitaliy Shkarpetu and Oleh Trynadtsiatka;

— Lyceum No. 17 and Yaroslav Fedorenko;

— Secondary school No. 21 and Viktor Vlasov;

— Educational complex No. 7 and Oleksandr Vetrov;

— Special secondary school No. 27 and Artem Mylyar;

— Oleshynskyi gymnasium and Viktor Sadovskyy.

Throughout the day, volunteers and relatives of participants were alongside their teams' schools. The college named after V. Kozubnyk team was supported by its director Oksana Vikhtyuk. World champion in sambo Oxana Pilypchuk supported her students.

The moderator of the football event was the project coordinator from Khmelnytsky OAF Mykhailo Kuznetsov.

Photo by the press service of UAF

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

May 20-21 — Khmelnytsky Oblast, Dunaivtsi;

May 21-22 — Chernivtsi Oblast, Novoselytsia;

May 23-24 — Ternopil Oblast, Buczach;

May 26-27 — Ternopil Oblast, Zaliztsi;

May 26-27 — Khmelnytsky city;

May 27-28 — Chernivtsi city;

June 1-2 — Uzhhorod;

June 2-3 — Ivano-Frankivsk;

June 2-3 — Lviv Oblast, Sosnovka;

June 3-4 — Zakarpattya Oblast, Hushty;

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

Also reminding about other communities that have joined the project:

— Lviv Oblast, Stryi / Morshyn;

— Rivne city;

— Rivne Oblast, Ostroh.

All project events are conducted with the approval of oblast military administrations.

It is worth noting that in April in seven participating regions of the project, special preparatory training for volunteers were held.

The general goal of the "Open Football Lessons" project is to contribute to the protection of children from areas affected by military operations, unaccompanied children, orphans and other vulnerable children who have suffered from war and been forced to resettle in Western Ukraine (the project is currently being implemented in seven regions — Zakarpattya, 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:

— To provide immediate humanitarian aid (medical, food and non-food items) to children from areas affected by military operations and their families;

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

— To provide material and moral support to cross-sectoral networks implementing the project 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).