The war in Ukraine is causing a large flow of refugees to European countries. A quarter of all Ukrainian children, about 1.8 million, have already fled the country. But many children are also displaced in Ukraine.
For a child, this is an extreme experience. The family is broken up. They miss their father, mother or relatives who have stayed behind in Ukraine. Precious possessions such as toys and books were also not included, and everything in the new host country feels different.
How can we warmly welcome and help the children?
Better Time Stories was set up with this question in mind. The non-profit initiative offers children aged 3 to 7 a free welcome gift of five bilingual picture books on themes such as comfort, love and optimism. Through a unique app, family members left behind can record five specially selected stories, so the children hear a familiar and cherished voice as they read. The aim is to make the children feel like one family again, to welcome them and introduce them to a new language through accompanied audiobooks.
On September 29, the official international launch of this donation campaign and gifts distribution took place in The Hague , under the patronage of: First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Germany Elke Büdenbender and First Lady of Austria Doris Schmidauer and Princess Laurentien van Oranje.
