In mid-March, the Parimatch Foundation launched an initiative to collect toys for children who were forced to flee Ukraine due to the war and move to Cyprus. The project aimed to give children forced to leave their homes a little joy and help them adapt to new conditions as soon as possible.
The response to this initiative from the company and the public was heartfelt and truly unique, so it became possible to implement and complete for a short period. According to representatives of the Foundation, locals brought large packages of toys daily, so the company’s office turned into actual toy storage. In less than a month, many toys were collected and distributed to children arriving in Cyprus from Ukraine.
The non-profit organizations CY4UA and Hope for Children became partners in this case. Since the beginning of the war, both organizations have been active in various areas concerning the people affected by the war in Ukraine and joined some Parimatch Foundation projects. In a short time, they have managed to build a structured way to support the Ukrainians arriving in Cyprus, including the initiative and distribution of toys to displaced children.
— Children should be happy and not be traumatized by events such as wars. When people from Ukraine decided to leave their homes and move to a safer area, they took the most important things with them. On many occasions, toys were not a priority. We wanted to welcome children in Cyprus with a small present. We want all children to have access to toys and make sure that they will be able to play and recover from any trauma as soon as possible. We know that toys alone cannot be the solution. Still, it is a step towards it, especially with the essential support,
— Constantinos Kkaili, CSR COORDINATOR Parimatch Foundation, said.
Hope For Children CRC Policy Center is an international humanitarian and independent Institution. The institution is established on standards and principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and European Union Law. It works on humanitarian and development policies that defend and promote children’s rights.
CY4UA is an international group of volunteers based in Cyprus who share one common goal – to help all those in need affected by Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
