A Series of Misericordia Volunteer Movement Events Held at the Chervona Kalyna Educational and Health Complex

Throughout the summer, the Chervona Kalyna Educational and Health Complex hosted a series of activities for beneficiaries and partner organisations of Misericordia, the university-wide volunteer movement of Ternopil National Medical University. Today, the movement brings together 23 institutions and organisations that provide care and support to children, young people, and people who require special attention, assistance, and rehabilitation.

The programme welcomed a diverse range of participants, including children and representatives of partner organisations, service members and their families, people with disabilities and psychological disorders, orphans, and internally displaced persons. Both extended camps and one-day trips were organised for them. The initiatives were coordinated and directly organised by Misericordia volunteer movement coordinator Associate Professor Taras Kadobnyi and dedicated student volunteers.

The stay at Chervona Kalyna combined recreation, health improvement, rehabilitation, and educational activities. A special place in the programme was given to animal-assisted therapy. At the local animal corner, children with mental health conditions, people with special needs, and service members with various types of injuries had the opportunity to interact with animals and improve their emotional well-being through contact with nature.

The programme also included themed patriotic and local history tours at the bunker museum, where participants learned about the history of the region and Ukraine’s military history.

A vivid example of this work was the July programme for members of the NGO Centre “My World” and young people with special needs. Their stay featured art therapy, animal-assisted therapy, dance activities, physical exercises, horseback riding, picnics, and musical evenings. An important part of the programme was a meeting with Ukraine’s defenders, as well as an exhibition of weapons and ammunition from different historical periods.

Misericordia student volunteers Iryna Kushnir, Diana Salyk, and Mariia Kavatsiuk took an active part in organising and supporting the activities and accompanying the participants throughout the programme.

The Misericordia volunteer movement and the University administration express their sincere gratitude to the benefactors and partners who helped make the participants’ stay enjoyable, comfortable, and well provided for: Mykulynets Brewery LLC, Opillia Brewery LLC, Kalyna Loshnivska Farm, and Mykulynets Bread Factory LLC.