By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Christian charity Mission Eurasia says it will help 30,000 children this summer, “whose lives have been upended by Russia’s full-scale invasion” of Ukraine.
The “Summer of Hope” Bible camps, run in partnership with local churches, combine trauma care with Christian teaching.
Eighty percent of participants are Ukrainian children living in central and western regions, which are considered less dangerous, though safety “can never be guaranteed,” the group said.
Marjana, a married mother of three near the city of Lviv, said, “A Russian strike almost hit our house.” Her children are welcome at the Bible camps. “These camps are often the first time in months or years that children can feel safe, play freely, and hear a message of hope,” added Mission Eurasia President Sergey Rakhuba, a native of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
“They are places where trauma counseling and spiritual care go hand-in-hand”, added Rakhuba, who witnessed massive destruction of villages and towns.
Rakhuba noted that many children arrive mistrustful after years of war. “They look for reassurance that they will not be left alone and that their families will not be left alone. They’re extremely grateful and receptive to care — and they want to be near people who will hug them and keep them safe,” he said. He recalled a camp in Zaporizhzhia where children sheltered during a drone attack before resuming activities.
Mission Eurasia says the camps offer safe spaces, emotional stability, and Gospel-centered hope to children facing displacement, violence, and loss.
TRAINED COUNSELORS
Local leaders identify those in need, and trained trauma counselors provide small group discussions, recreation, and counseling tailored to war-affected youth.
The charity warns the camps operate amid “an alarming breakdown of the family structure” in both Russia and Ukraine, citing high divorce rates, domestic violence, and substance abuse.
Russia’s more than three-year-long war against Ukraine left more than 1 million people dead or injured, many of them children, according to officials and aid workers.
Beyond Ukraine, Mission Eurasia runs similar programs for Ukrainian refugee children in Poland and Moldova and outreach in other Eurasian nations, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Rakhuba asked for prayer “for an end to the war, for wisdom among world leaders, and for protection over Mission Eurasia staff.”
He added: “We want children to experience joy, make friends, and hear that there is hope for their lives. And we want them to know that hope has a name — Jesus.”
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