District 7850 Rotarians’ Donations to The Rotary Foundation support children in Ukraine
The partnership of Plymouth, NH Rotarians and "The Common Man for Ukraine" supports Rotarians in Poland and Ukraine providing mental health therapy for children who have lost parents in the war between Ukraine and Russia.The Ukraine Children’s Health Retreat has been in operation since 2014, when it was held once a year for children whose parents were lost during the conflict with Russia over Crimea. Members of the Plymouth Rotary Club visited Ukraine on multiple occasions to perform community assessments since spring of 2022 to understand the changing needs of children of war in Ukraine.
During 12 visits since the start of the current conflict in 2022, Plymouth Rotarians met with the founders of this project along with their partner Rotarians in Poland and Ukraine. Those assessments led to understanding the need to expand the program to a monthly program. This expansion is driven by 
the ongoing conflict.
the ongoing conflict.The 18-day retreats expanded from annually to monthly beginning late 2022 for 32 +/- children between the ages of 8 and 12 to provide specialized counseling, therapeutic activities, and support communities for children who have lost a father and/or other family member in the defense of Ukraine against Russian military aggression. These retreats are held in Poland to provide the children a respite from the trauma of living in a war zone and are staffed by Ukrainian specialists in physical and mental health as well as education and art and play therapy. The 18-day program includes therapeutic activities, one-on-one and small group counseling, as well as recreational outings. Surviving parents and caregivers are in daily contact with retreat staff and their children throughout the retreat.
As of August 2025 more than 1,300 children have participated in these retreats and a waiting list exists which speaks to the continued need for this program. Given the existing waiting list, funding is needed to improve and sustain this highly successful program to continue the long-term outcomes of the trauma retreats and to build sustainability going forward.
Rotary Foundation funds will be used to help achieve sustainability of this program as the war comes to an end. The long-term goal, after the conclusion of the active war, is to transfer this program to a Ukrainian non-profit, such as U-Care, for continued maintenance. The sponsors of this project have been in discussion with Ukrainian non-profit organizations who understand the need to take over the program at the appropriate time to ensure sustainability of this effort to relieve the long-term mental health needs and the generational trauma of the war. Given the unknowns related to the war itself, only discussions have been held to date and no firm agreements have been reached.
For more information contact Steve Rand of the Plymouth Rotary club at rstevenrand@yahoo.com