“We thought then, ‘Oh, my God, if they blow up that bridge, we will all be under occupation!’”

The base of the Emerald City Social Rehabilitation Center in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast, was destroyed by the war. For several decades, the center was an island of safety and recovery for children from Donbas. It took in orphans, children in difficult life situations, gifted children, winners of school Olympiads, and others.  

During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, children were taken out of the center, but teachers, mentors, and their families remained there. In the early summer of 2022, the Center was occupied by Russian troops. 

After the liberation of Sviatohirsk, the scale of destruction was revealed: the buildings, the assembly hall, and the house for the families of the teaching staff were destroyed. But later, the Emerald City was revived in the west of the country, says Maryna Sikalo, deputy director of the Center. Even some of the furniture that had miraculously survived the fighting was transported from Sviatohirsk to Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The Christmas tree was also spared. After all, the children’s town has always celebrated New Year’s holidays on a grand scale. 

In December 2023, the Emerald City welcomed the representatives of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, which has been a trusted partner of the Center for many years.