What they do
The SviTY programme
The foundation's core programme: group and individual work with psychologists, courses, career guidance and creative activities in four centres, 250 to 300 adolescents a year at each.
UA FEST 2026Nonprofit
Kids of Ukraine
KIDS OF UKRAINE · Charitable Foundation Kids of Ukraine · Charity Fund "Kids of Ukraine" · Фонд KIDS OF UKRAINE · Благодійний фонд «Kids of Ukraine» · kidsofuaorg
Kids of Ukraine · Charity partner, 2025–2026
Four centres in Ukraine where teenagers recover from the war — free of charge, and face to face.
UAFest charity partner · 2025–2026
Recovering the childhood
Where the money goes
Your donations support the work of four psychosocial support centers in Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Zhytomyr.
The funds are used to provide professional psychological support to adolescents, educational programs, leadership programs for career guidance and communication skills development, as well as rehabilitation camps in the Carpathians Mountains.
2100+teenagers
have received psychological support and taken part in group sessions within the SviTY programme.
4centres
Lviv, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr — the cities where SviTY works.
3100+hours
of individual and group work with psychologists, aimed at recovery and self-regulation skills.
95out of 100
teens report positive changes in their emotional state after attending classes at SviTY centres.
Figures and wording published by the foundation on kidsofua.org, read 10 September 2026.
How to help
$21
UAFest transfers 100% of the funds raised through its GoFundMe campaign to Kids of Ukraine.
That $21 is the monthly subscription the foundation runs on its own site: a month of psychosocial, educational and creative activities in a safe space for one child.
The festival's own words
Why UAFest stands behind them
UAFest is run by volunteers and organised by the Ukrainian Community of Lanark County, a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of Ontario. It holds no CRA charity registration, so the charity money the festival raises is directed to a partner organisation, and the festival names that partner in public every year.
The festival grew out of a fundraiser for displaced Ukrainian families in Lanark County. A share of every festival day since has gone back to children living through the war, and the partner has changed as the need changed.
2023
Rotary for Kids of Heroes
Proceeds funded Christmas gifts for 50 children in the Kharkiv region.
2024
Save Ukraine
A $9,395 cheque was presented to the foundation's founder at a formal ceremony in October 2024, together with the Mayor of Carleton Place.
2025–2026
Kids of Ukraine
The current partner. The GoFundMe campaign raises money for the foundation; the running total lives on the campaign page.
Published by the foundation
What the teenagers say
In “SviTY” space, I found friends, maybe not many, but they are there. I learned to control my emotions, and sessions with psychologists always bring benefits.
Dima · 13 · Kharkiv
I've been attending the “SviTY” space for a while, and it's one of the best places for me. There's always a friendly atmosphere where you feel understood and accepted.
Sasha · 15 · Feodosia
Thanks to “SviTY” program, I met true friends and felt confident and comfortable. Here, I can relax, grow, and feel safe.
Matvii · 15 · Horlivka
I found myself, became stronger internally, and gained more understanding of friendship thanks to advice and training, so I feel more calm.
Nastia · 16 · Lviv
Thanks to “SviTY” program, I adapted faster in Lviv, met some important people for me, and also changed my life.
Arina · 15 · Kramatorsk
“SviTY” is a place where I feel support and understanding. It's not just about fun but also development, learning, and a space where I can be myself.
Nadiya · 12 · Cherkasy
Six reviews the foundation publishes on kidsofua.org, first names and cities as given there.
How to help
UA FEST Family
About
Kids of Ukraine is a Ukrainian charitable foundation working with teenagers whose childhood was interrupted by the war. It was founded in 2022 to support children and families affected by the war, opening its first psychosocial support centre for teenagers in Lviv and launching the programme it calls SviTY. In 2024 it was officially registered as a charitable foundation in Ukraine. The address it publishes is 6/7 Mickiewicz A Square, Lviv 79000.
SviTY now runs in four psychosocial support centres — Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr — and each centre takes 250 to 300 adolescents a year. Everything is free of charge, and the programme is open to young people aged 11 to 17, including displaced children, children of military personnel, and others who need psychosocial support.
Time at a centre mixes several things at once. There are group and individual sessions with psychologists, educational courses covering IT, psychology, exam preparation, financial and media literacy and conflict resolution, career guidance built around visits to companies and meetings with working professionals, plus creative workshops, art therapy and excursions. SviTY runs offline only: the foundation treats in-person contact as the point of the method, because that is how teenagers rebuild real friendships. During air raid alerts the group moves to a shelter and carries on there.
Two further programmes sit alongside it. The summer camps in the Carpathians take teenagers who already attend a centre for eight days of mountain hikes, rafting, morning runs and daily work with psychologists, on a method the foundation describes as trauma-informed pedagogy, a restorative approach and the principles of non-violent communication. "Talk to Me, Body", an initiative by Iryna Mazur, works with the mothers of SviTY participants, pairing a psychologist-led circle of trust with a professional photo session.
The foundation's work is carried by a Council of Psychologists and an Advisory Board, and its business partners include the SHERIFF security holding, the BGV Charity Fund — which made the Zhytomyr centre possible — and SoftServe, which opens its Generation Tech course to the foundation's teenagers free of charge. In 2025 Kids of Ukraine received a nominee's certificate in the national "Charity Compass Ukraine" rating, four stars out of five for its 2024 results, valid until 30 June 2026.
Free, for ages 11 to 17
Registered as a charitable foundation in Ukraine, 2024
Charity Compass Ukraine nominee, 2025
Kids of Ukraine
What they do
Psychosocial support for war-affected teens: group/individual psychotherapy, restorative practices, art and sound therapy, English classes, workshops, sports and excursions (flagship 'SviTY' program), plus peer support for parents.
What they do
Career guidance for teenagers
Visits to companies, meetings with working professionals, and courses in IT, psychology, exam preparation, financial and media literacy and conflict resolution.
What they do
Summer camps in the Carpathians
Eight days in the mountains for teenagers already attending a centre — hikes, rafting, morning runs and daily psychological work.
What they do
Talk to Me, Body
An initiative by Iryna Mazur for the mothers of SviTY participants: a psychologist-led circle of trust together with a professional photo session.
Open to
Donations, including a monthly subscription the foundation prices at $21 for one child's month of activitiesOngoing monthly support for the running of the centresFunding for summer restorative programmes at the SviTY centresCareer-guidance programmes run with companies, and mentorship, for teenagers aged 14 to 17Joint online and offline events with businessesVolunteering in the centres and camps
Kids of Ukraine
Where to find them
Kids of Ukraine works inside Ukraine. The address it publishes is 6/7 Mickiewicz A Square, Lviv 79000, and its four psychosocial support centres are in Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr. The young people quoted on the foundation's own site name Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Horlivka, Feodosia, Cherkasy and Lviv as home. The summer camps take place in the Carpathians.
The foundation publishes no address outside Ukraine. The link to the Ottawa Valley runs through UAFest, which gives a share of every festival's proceeds to Kids of Ukraine. The festival is held on Sunday, 13 September 2026, from 12 to 6 PM in Riverside Park on Lake Ave W in Carleton Place, Ontario — "45 minutes from Ottawa" by the festival's own description — and admission is free.
UAFest participation
Their story and UAFest
22
2022
Founded to support children and families affected by the war. The first psychosocial support centre for teenagers opens in Lviv and the SviTY programme launches.
23
2023
Centres open in Cherkasy and Khmelnytskyi; SviTY now reaches three cities in Ukraine.
24
2024
Official registration as a charitable foundation in Ukraine, and the fourth psychosocial support centre opens in Zhytomyr.
25
2025
Over 2,000 teenagers have received professional psychological support through the foundation's programmes, and work continues across all four centres.
25
2025
A nominee's certificate in the national "Charity Compass Ukraine" rating — four stars out of five for 2024 results, valid until 30 June 2026. The same year, UAFest begins its partnership with the foundation.
Kids of Ukraine
Questions & answers
Do families pay anything?
No. The foundation states that all activities and programmes for teenagers are completely free of charge, made possible by its donors and partners.
Who can join the programme?
Teenagers aged 11 to 17, including displaced children, children of military personnel, and others who need psychosocial support. Parents or guardians fill out an application form, the teenager attends one or two introductory sessions, and if they want to continue the parents take part in a short interview and sign a participation agreement.
Where do the centres work, and is any of it online?
SviTY runs exclusively offline, in four centres — Lviv, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr. The foundation says in-person contact is a cornerstone of its approach, because it is how teenagers rebuild social connections and real friendships.
What happens during an air raid alert?
All participants are accompanied to a shelter, where they can either continue the activity or stay until the all-clear. The foundation describes children's safety as its top priority and publishes a child protection policy on its site.
How does UAFest support Kids of Ukraine?
UAFest gives a share of every festival's proceeds to Kids of Ukraine; the festival dates the partnership to 2025. The foundation also takes donations directly on its own site, and publishes a phone number and an email address for questions.
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