Dear friends, please check out our consolidated report on BKC’s projects from July through September. Our project activities amounted to UAH 1,364,448.25 (USD 37,312.02) during the three months. This has been possible due to the support of our incredible donors and partners – kind-hearted individuals, companies and fundraising platforms.
BCK supported two specialised educational institutions for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. We purchased beds, diapers and tableware for an orphanage for severely disabled children. We also helped repair the roof of its outdoor sitting area to provide shelter from sun or rain. We purchased renovation materials for an educational institution in Zhytomyr Oblast to help keep the premises in a good and safe condition for its pupils.
As part of our initiative aimed at helping children affected by the war, BKC, together with our local partners, purchased baby food for 38 children below three years old from forcibly displaced and low-income families living in Kharkiv and provided financial aid of UAH 3,000 (USD 82) per family to purchase essentials for 11 families of children with disabilities. Our organisation helped pay for physical rehabilitation treatments for 16 children with disabilities. We also bought food supplies for the residents of Kherson, who have been affected by the floods due to the destruction of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam.
As part of our project supporting entrepreneur women, we purchased professional products and materials for the ventures of two mums balancing motherhood and operating their businesses. The women we support are mothers of disabled children. As their children require ongoing support, these women had to make a hard decision to sacrifice their careers to attend full-time to their children’s needs. Losing one parent’s income can put the family in a very vulnerable position financially, and for a single mum, having no income is beyond devastating. The war has made it much harder for mums of children with disabilities to survive. But no matter how difficult it has been for them, our beneficiaries struggle forward; they run small ventures offering a range of services- hairdressing, baking, and selling hand-made crafts – to earn an income to feed their children. We are happy to be able to support such wonderful, motivated women!
In addition, Bright Kids bought a 12-channel electrocardiograph and tonometers for the National Scientific Center of Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The medical facility treats more than 10,000 children each year, including 3,963 children evacuated from the fighting areas. The facility reached out for our assistance as it is experiencing an ongoing medical device shortage. The Rzhyshchiv Medical Centre of Primary Health Care in Kyiv Oblast also requested our help, as it lacks the basic equipment to provide care for the forcibly displaced families living in the area. With the help of our donors, we also purchased stethoscopes for the medical centre.
For BKC, September also marked the launch of another initiative which offers psychological support and informal learning for children in underserved areas in Ukraine. We are delighted to have the opportunity to implement this project together with our local partners – Caritas Poltava, Volunteer League (Kharkiv Oblast) and Fire Up! (Kharkiv). What is more, as part of this project, Bright Kids will have our own safe children’s space located in Myrhorod (Poltava Oblast). At the moment, final preparations are underway for the centre’s opening in early October.
From assisting orphanages with vital needs to equipping children’s hospitals with medical equipment and supplies to carrying out programmes for conflict-affected children and families, BKC is committed to supporting those who need help most. Please consider supporting our work with a kind donation. Your gift will allow us to ensure that our beneficiaries have the assistance they need to help them through the most challenging times.
