Prague, the Czech capital, has absorbed at least half a million refugees in the last two months. I happened to spend a week in central Prague recently and saw first hand that many of these are very young, traumatised children. I knew immediately that I wanted to help and came across KCK (Komunitni Centrum Kampa), a small NGO in the heart of Prague run by the local community.

At KCK, they realised that the children had spent long weeks in underground bomb shelters without adequate food, light, socialisation or any form of education. Without any provision or funding, they simply opened their community play centre and private garden for refugee use. Children who were unable to communicate were laughing and playing and making new friends in the sunshine within days. Refugee parents began to meet locals who could help them with finding longer term accommodation, administration, work and therapeutic help. Local parents brought clothes, household utensils, essential furniture and foodstuffs for families who'd left with little else than plastic bags.

The initiative was such a success that they quickly expanded to a 4 hour daily provision. Demand was sky-high and within two weeks they had twenty children daily. A grant application for 1000 Euro from the local council was successful, but, three weeks later, has still not arrived. The children are desperate for stability and continuity. They are keen to make new friends, and surprisingly, to learn. A volunteer refugee, Halyna, who was a high school in Kiev, has stepped up and is providing daily literacy classes for the children. They adore her.

My aim here is to create a fund which secures this centre for the refugee children for the foreseeable future. It is currently running on next to nothing. Local and Ukrainian volunteers are working overtime to ensure that the children's most immediate needs are met but this is not sustainable. As an NGO, the centre is independent which means that it was able to respond at ground level to immediate need but must find a way to sustain itself. All monies raised will go directly to financing the very clear needs that have emerged:

Daily running costs for expanded provision - calls come in daily for new children.

Extra expert childcare by CZECH and UKRAINIAN speakers - many of the children are school ready, or soon to be and are anxious of falling behind their peers.

Daily, nutritionally balanced, hot meal for the children - most have had a very limited diet in the past months. They have clear signs of malnutrition and tooth decay.

Male Sports Instructor - most of the fathers/older brothers have had to return to the Ukraine either to fight or

as Home Guard. The children are missing them desperately.

Trauma therapist - many of the children are still demonstrating high anxiety levels. Early intervention is key to supporting recovery.

Czech lessons for children and for parents. Language skills are a crucial key for integration both for children and adults as most see Prague as their home for the foreseeable future.

https://or.justice.cz/ias/ui/rejstrik-$firma?p%3A%3Asubmit=x&.%2Frejstrik-%24&nazev=&ico=27008355&forma=spolek&polozek=500&typHledani=CONTAINS&jenPlatne=VSECHNY&utm_source=spolkovyrejstrik.cz&referral=spolkovyrejstrik.cz