Caritas Italia works with Ukrainian children to provide summer programmes

 ROME - While the war continues unabated after three and a half years, the summer reception programme ‘È più bello insieme’ (It's better together) will continue in the summer of 2025. This initiative is promoted by Caritas Italiana (with the support and promotion of the Italian Episcopal Conference), in collaboration with Caritas Ukraine and Caritas Spes (the two Ukrainian national Caritas organisations), the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See, the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine, many Italian dioceses, the ACLI (Italian Catholic Workers' Association) and an ever-growing network of ecclesial and associative entities throughout the country.

 In a statement released today, Caritas Italiana explains that the project was launched in 2022 as a concrete response to the tragedy of the war in Ukraine and has enabled hundreds of children to come to Italy over the years, offering them weeks of relief, serenity and fraternal encounter in safe reception contexts. Even in these last summer months, the commitment is renewed in the spirit of continuity, with the involvement of an additional 230 Ukrainian children and young people, welcomed in five distinct programmes in various regions of the country.

 As many as 75 children (50 accompanied by Caritas Ukraine, 25 by Caritas Spes) are being hosted in Formazza (VB), in Piedmont for a week and a half ending Thursday, at a facility made available by the ACLI, in a mountain setting that promotes rest and socialisation. At the same time, 25 young people from Caritas Spes are participating in the reception in Sondrio, promoted by Caritas Como, which includes workshops, recreational activities and outdoor activities.

 From July 28 to August 9, 50 children referred by Caritas Ukraine are being welcomed in Comacchio (FE), where Caritas Ferrara has organised a holiday and training programme, with the involvement of operators, volunteers and families from the area. Another group of 50 children, referred by the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See, will be hosted in Castel Volturno (CE) from 1 to 15 August, thanks to the efforts of Caritas Capua.

 Finally, from 4 to 24 August, 35 Ukrainian children will be welcomed by Italian families in eight regions (Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Molise, Abruzzo and Campania). The 31 families involved were identified with the support of the National Office for Family Ministry, Famiglie per l'Accoglienza (Families for Hospitality) and the National Forum of Family Associations.

“‘It’s better together’,” writes Caritas, “is not just a name, but an intuition that becomes a concrete reality every time peace finds space in the simplicity of a game, a shared meal or a moment of mutual listening. The welcome continues to be an increasingly transformative experience both for the Ukrainian children and for the Italian communities involved, called to open themselves to experience care and fraternity.” The Ukrainian children and their companions met with Pope Leo XIV on July 3.

 The project is part of a broader initiative that Caritas Italiana has been carrying out since the beginning of the war, alongside the Ukrainian population, both within and outside the country's borders. The summer welcome is one of its most immediate and generative expressions, capable of building bridges even across the wounds of history.

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