Ukrainian children from collective shelters are taught in Varsenare

“We have a cook from Ukraine who is responsible for the kitchen. We have our greenhouse where they can grow vegetables. The children can participate in leisure activities in Varsenare: badminton, football, the youth association. The integration is going very well. There There is also a lot of interaction with the neighbors,” says Lorenzo Billiet of Licht en Liefde. (Read more below the photo.)

Learning Dutch in a playful way

There are also nine children in this collective care. They are taught during the day in the free primary school De Wassenaar. Director Filip De Baets teaches together with Svitlana Khomyn. The latter was an English teacher herself in Ukraine. The children learn Dutch by, for example, singing songs.

The school is not used to taking in refugee children, but everyone contributes. “A retired teacher comes to help. This afternoon a psychotherapist also came by to ask if she could do something about trauma processing. There is also a Ukrainian mother who has been staying here for eight years and she comes by every Friday,” says the director.

The operation of the reception in the old building of Light and Love is mainly done with donations. This evening Jabbeke will also contribute to the city council.