03-09-2012
Meeting was hold in Uzhgorod press-club, the subject of which was “How should a child adapt in the environment of another government: support of social services, volunteers, non-governmental organizations».
Ivan Pirov, Music teacher in Mukachevo TAC, Anatoliy Bylychko, social workers of International Fund of Health Well Being and Environment Conservation “NEEKA” and women-residents of Mukachevo TAC had a meeting with journalists.
Ivan Pirov stated that the syllabus introduced in TAC help children to adapt quicker in Ukrainian society. Even if a language barrier is hard to overcome in the beginning, so due to songs and dances it is easier to find common language with children. “If these children live in our environment, so my task is to teach them our song, communication, European mentality. These children attend Ukrainian school. Certainly, it is hard to get over the language barrier, but these children can learn Ukrainian on the communication level already in six months using correct approach. Peculiarities of our culture are learned with the help of movements, songs, melodic and mood».
Anatoliy Bylychko, social worker of International Fund of Health Well Being and Environment Conservation “NEEKA” has dwelled at length on special programmes existing due to NGOs of Transcarpathia. “There are programmes that help children to adapt in Ukrainian society, become its full members. Special lessons on tolerance are conducted for children, Ukrainian lessons are conducted separately. NGOs support with purchase of textbooks, school uniform, all necessary things starting from pencils to sport uniform, footwear.” Psychologist also works with children who had to leave their country of origin and got to Ukraine. He helps better perceive circumstances in which the child appears. He also conducts lessons on learning other religions, in particular, Christianity. As it was marked by Anatoliy Bylychko, there were no any conflicts in TAC on religious grounds.
This summer NEEKA conducted English-speaking camp for Mukachevo children together with kids from TAC. Games, joint stay of children of different nationalities promoted durable contacts, inter cultural exchange. According to the words of Anatoliy Bylychko, for the part of refugee-children Ukraine is really native as they were born here. And the first words they heard were also Ukrainian. Female residents of TAC demonstrated by singing in Ukrainian and communicating with the journalists the way they know Ukrainian and joined the culture of recently foreign country,
Uzhgorod press-club realizes project “Ukraine is my second motherland” at the support of Danish Refugee Council. The goal of the project is to support social adaptation and integration of refugee-children in Ukrainian society as well as attract attention to those problems they face in everyday life.