Almost a year of preparation, dozens of people involved, hundreds of organizational details, and countless worries. And finally, 47 children have traveled to Austria for rehabilitation and recreation, a program that GLOBAL2000 has been organizing for more than 30 years.
As every year, one group—three family-type children’s homes—has traveled to Graz. Another group—children in remission whose doctors approved the journey—has headed to Ybbs.
This year’s preparations were especially challenging. The war continues to reshape our reality every day. Until the very last moment, we did not know how the journey would unfold: whether trains would be delayed, whether everyone would make their connections, or how long the trip would ultimately take.
There was a time when it took only a few hours to fly from Kharkiv to Vienna. Today, reaching a safe place takes two to three days in one direction alone.
Fortunately, everything went as smoothly as possible this time, and all groups arrived safely at their destinations.
Ahead of them are several weeks without air raid sirens or explosions. We wish the children restful sleep, renewed strength, new friendships, endless laughter, and, at least for a little while, the chance to forget about the war. Because childhood should be filled with safety, care, and joy.
