Ivano-Frankivsk is facing cuts to international health programmes for the children of Ukrainian military personnel. Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv has reported that a number of Polish towns have refused to host the children for their summer holidays.
- Polish towns have started to refuse to take in the children of Ukrainian military personnel.
- The reason is the rise in anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.
- Ivano-Frankivsk is looking for new partners in Hungary and the Baltic states.
- Priority in health programmes is given to the children of fallen servicemen.
Our Polish partners have started to back out
Ivano-Frankivsk has been hit by cuts to international health programmes for the children of Ukrainian military personnel. Ruslan Martsinkiv, the mayor, noted that a number of Polish twin towns had this year refused to host children for summer holidays. He attributes this situation to the rise in anti-Ukrainian sentiments among a section of Polish society.
«Unfortunately, whilst Polish towns used to take in more children in previous years, many have refused to do so this year. It’s a shame that there is such anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Polish towns at the moment,» said the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk.
New health and wellness destinations
At the same time, Martsinkiv emphasised that the city authorities are already working on alternative options to ensure that children do not miss out on the opportunity to spend their summer holidays abroad. Ivano-Frankivsk is expanding its cooperation with other European communities. Children have already been on holiday in Šibenik (Croatia), Trakai (Lithuania) and Nyíregyháza (Hungary).
In international health programmes, priority is given to the children of those killed in action, those missing in action and service personnel of the 102nd Separate Territorial Defence Brigade.
The summer campaign is also underway in Ukraine
As well as trips abroad, a summer health and wellness programme is currently underway in the Ivano-Frankivsk community. The second session at the «Limnytsia» children’s camp is drawing to a close; the camp is hosting children of combatants, families of fallen defenders and children from frontline areas.
