Three religious sisters from the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth run a kindergarten and a family assistance centre in the Ukrainian city of Žytomyr, meeting the needs of the local community affected by the war.
By Tomasz Zielenkiewicz
In May 2022, religious sisters from the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth opened a kindergarten in rooms provided by Caritas for children of employees of critical infrastructures and volunteers.
“They had nowhere to leave their children, so we welcomed as many children as could fit in the few rooms”, explained Sr Franciszka Tumanievich. Today, about 20 children aged between four and five attend the kindergarten each day. In addition to art and English classes, they also spend time in prayer.
“The children pray for soldiers and for peace every day,” she added. “There are no Christian kindergartens in Ukraine. Our project, which was made possible thanks to Caritas SPES, is thus something new.”
Almost half of the staff are displaced women, experts in speech therapy, psychology and pedagogy, who have experienced traumatic experiences themselves. “These women are a gift for us,” Sr Franciszka explained, recalling the engaging activities they contribute to, including linguistic gymnastics, dancing and singing.
“These women’s stories are very difficult and moving, which is why the centre is so important,” she noted. “We currently have a generation of orphans and widows, and many families were separated when their members went abroad.”
Sr. Franciszka helps plan lessons for the children
Running a family assistance centre also means taking care of basic needs.
“We make sure that the people we help have food, tea and space, so they feel comfortable, and can eat and pray with us,” Sr Franciszka added.
In addition to their daily service in the kindergarten and in the centre, the Sisters organize retreats and formation with the families.
Sr Franciszka, who works daily in the Ecclesiastic Tribunal, underscored that spiritual support goes hand in hand with material and psychological assistance.
“We not only want these people to live another day,” she explained, “but also that they be able to find meaning and hope.”