Thirty Ukrainian kids are taking part in a summer camp in Austria, thanks to the fundraising for the Ukrainian Emergency that has never stopped. For these kids, spending some peaceful days away from their country where war rages means being able to fully live their being children and adolescents, their right to life, to play, to carefreeness. Here is the story of the first five days of the summer camp.
Day 1
Arrival in the beautiful town of Pulkau, in Lower Austria. A place surrounded by greenery. Christine and her husband Michael, very friendly people, welcome the kids and their companions in a large house. After an initial settling in, everyone goes for a walk along the streets of the town, then the meeting with the mayor, who tells the story of Pulkau and a well-deserved ice cream for everyone. Could a few kicks of a ball be missing? In fact, the children did not refuse the invitation of the local church priest to play football! At the end of the day, more moments of leisure in the playground and then all together around a table to share food and joy.
Day 2
A day dedicated to excursions. The chosen stop is Eggenburg, a few kilometers away from Pulkau. The first place visited is the local history museum, accompanied by the director and his interesting explanations on the origins of the town. The children were especially intrigued by the teeth of a giant shark, one of the “inhabitants” of this Austrian area in prehistoric times. The excursion continued with a visit to the fortifications. The rest of the day was pure joy: pizza party and swimming pool. They arrived in the evening really tired but full of emotions.
Day 3
The day began with music: the children listened to pieces played on the organ, the king of all instruments with its unmistakable majesty warmed everyone’s spirits. After lunch, everyone got to work building a crane… out of paper. This bird for the Ukrainian culture (and not only) is a symbol of peace and prosperity. And it will be a gift for those who hosted the children here in Austria. The rest of the day flew by between the playground and the movie night. Time flies during this holiday.
Day 4
The fourth day of the summer camp began with delicious sweet pancakes. A breakfast that gave the kids all the energy they needed to face a day of adventure in the Thayatal National Park accompanied by a true pilgrim who knows the art of travel and discovering the world. The kids literally immersed themselves in the wilderness, testing themselves with a survival training course. They learned how to set up a tent, look for herbs, follow animal tracks and light a fire under a magnifying glass.
Day 5
The adventure in the school camp continues! Fifth day, fifth stop of fun and vacation for this group of Ukrainian children in Austria. Today some of them went to cool off in the pool, and it was a sight to see them swimming, diving, laughing and enjoying life. Others went to a park where they have fun climbing trees and overcoming obstacles of all kinds. They’ve become little experts! At the end of the afternoon, everyone went to the town gardens to play and make friends with the children of Pulkau. (The camp is just beginning. We will tell you more about the carefree days that this group of Ukrainian boys and girls are spending in Austria)
