MIGDAL’S CRISIS RELIEF FUND FOR ODESA AND SOUTHERN UKRAINE
Dear Friends,
It has been more than a year since the beginning of the devastating wartime reality in Ukraine. As the war continues raging, it keeps bringing a high level of stress and uncertainty in people’s lives. Iran is providing modified Shahed attack drones to Russia now so that the explosive warheads can inflict maximum damage on infrastructure targets inside Ukraine. Odesa is being attacked by Shahed drones mostly at night, causing explosions and sirens all over the city. On Friday, April 28th Russia unleashed what is believed to have been the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians in months, killing at least 23 people including 4 children in the city of Uman as well as a mother and her young child in Dnipro. These vicious attacks are deliberately targeted at civilians with no consideration for elderly, women, and children.
The ongoing war has a very damaging impact on the mental health and well-being of children. Many children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. Anna Zilberman is a child psychologist and a social educator who works with children in Migdal, and we asked her about her experience while working with children affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine:
This Spring, to alleviate stress and anxiety of children stuck in the midst of the war, Migdal brought together families from Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and other close regions to Budapest for Purim celebration, and then Halom (Mriya) Family Retreat in Szarvas, Hungary. It was an incredible “island of freedom and joy” for children taken out of the war zone. Children felt themselves free of stress, anxiety, sirens, and bombings for two weeks. They enjoyed unique educational programming and loved great entertainment. Memories of the days spent in Budapest and Halom (Mriya) Family Retreat in Szarvas, Hungary will be warming their hearts for a long time. We are very grateful to all organizations and individuals who helped to make this amazing experience possible.
While we continue our operations under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, it is very important for us to know that we are not left alone during these challenging times. We hope to be able to provide another Halom (Mriya) Family Retreat outside of the war zone this Summer, as well as the other programs that will help families and children to survive this war. Continued targeting of Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian population underlines Russia’s clear plans to continue escalating its war of aggression. You can make a real difference and help those who are struggling to survive through your immediate donation. Please consider making a monthly donation and refer to your friends to strengthen your impact!
Migdal International is a 501(c) (3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible.
