IsraAID Ukraine hosts shelter painting festival for children in south of Ukraine

IsraAID Ukraine hosted local children for shelter painting festivals between May 22 and May 28, creating a sense of ownership and physical safety as part of their “Quokka Hub” project. Quokka Hubs are child-friendly spaces that provide emotional support to children displaced and affected by the ongoing war across the country. IsraAID installed shelters in villages that previously had no protection, allowing children to safely gather and access emotional support. With increased attacks across the country in recent months, shelters and activities provide much needed support to children who have repeatedly been displaced or kept out of school.  

IsraAID has installed shelters in five villages in Mykolaiv Oblast – Maryinka, Maryanivka, Novoukrainka, Murakhivka, and Novokondakove. These communities previously had no spaces for children to safely gather. In partnership with the local Ukrainian NGO Istok, these five new Quokka hubs will serve 328 children between the ages of 4 and 17. The shelter painting activities brought local children to paint murals on the shelters under the guidance of a Ukrainian artist, promoting a sense of ownership over the space and reducing fear around entering the shelter. On-site children participated in additional activities, including a creative arts session where children sculpted their own quokka (the hubs’ mascot) and placed it inside a model shelter. Under the guidance of psychosocial support experts, children participated in games that incorporate elements of emotional support. 

IsraAID’s Quokka Hubs provide psychosocial support to children through play and creativity, under the guidance of trained professionals. For many children, the ongoing war in Ukraine has meant displacement, the loss of loved ones, and interruption to their schooling and socialization. The hubs are often the only place where children can interact with their peers and access emotional support. IsraAID’s 17 mobile and stationary Quokka hubs support over 1,200 children in Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv Oblasts. 

The hub’s mascot, the quokka, was selected in collaboration with children from all over Ukraine. The adorable Australian animal has a unique facial structure which makes it seem as if it is always smiling. The animal is exceedingly social but regularly takes time by itself to recoup. IsraAID developed extensive emotional support materials surrounding the quokka, which are used in hubs across Ukraine. IsraAID also produces special backpacks that children and facilitators take with them to the shelter when air raid alerts occur – ensuring that they can continue activities despite active hostilities. 

IsraAID Ukraine has been responding to the ongoing war since the first days after the full-scale Russian invasion of the country. To date, IsraAID has supported over 400,000 people across Ukraine with access to safe water, mental health and psychosocial support services, health services, medical equipment, urgently needed aid items, shelters and more. 

Anastasia, a local facilitator of the Quokka hub in Marivka, said: 

“The shelter itself is very important. It creates the necessary safety standards for children to gather, meet with their peers, and take part in support activities. Still, shelters are associated with fear and danger, so having them painted brings some warmth and a bit more comfort when there’s a siren and we have to interrupt what we’re doing, go to the shelter, and continue Quokka hub activities there.” 

 

 

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Further information is available on request, including interviews with IsraAID Ukraine Country Director Alena Druzhynina and other individuals involved in this operation. 

PHOTOS: Photos from IsraAID’s shelter painting festival are available for download here. All photos should be credited to IsraAID/Kateryna Lashchykova.

CONTACT:

Shachar May
Email: [email protected]

Notes:

IsraAID is a leading international humanitarian non-governmental organization, based in Israel. Since 2001, IsraAID has become synonymous with a rapid response to humanitarian crises and a long-term commitment to working with affected communities. During and after emergencies, IsraAID partners with communities to re-build their lives – and their futures – together. As of May 2025, IsraAID has responded to more than 100 emergencies, in more than 65 countries.