Ambassadors and representatives from 14 countries accredited in Cyprus visited on Thursday the Ukrainian kindergarten, set up in the village of Pyla, in Larnaka district. The kindergarten was founded to assist children and their parents who were forced to leave Ukraine following the Russian invasion and they found refuge on the island.
The event was attended by ambassadors and representatives from the USA, Britain, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, Switzerland, Finland, Australia and the Czech Republic.
The children who attend the kindergarten’s programs presented an event for the visitors and a guided tour followed.
On behalf of the initiators Christodoulos Ellinas told the press that the kindergarten was set up with the aim to help both the children and their families which most consist of mothers and grandmothers. He said that the mothers have to work to support their families and the children go the kindergarten.
Ellinas thanked the local authorities who helped them in setting up the space and turning it into a kindergarten. A similar place already operates in Paralimni, in the premises of a public school.
Mayor of Pyla Simos Mitidis said that from the first moment they embraced the idea of creating a daycare center for refugee children, having themselves experienced being refugees, especially in a foreign country. The place hosts 12-20 children daily.
The kindergarten operates in an old police station and the restoration, according to the Mayor, costed around 50-60 thousand euro.
Newly appointed US Ambassador Julie Fischer said that it was a pleasure to be here in Pyla, one of her first days in Cyprus and to see how Cypriots have welcomed refugees from Ukraine and how the children are thriving there.
“It is such an honour for me, this is such a really difficult week as we think about the repercussion of Russia’s inhumane war against Ukraine and this kindergarten, this home for children, to continue to develop their Ukrainian identity, is a bit of sunshine in the mist of all of this tragedy, and really for me is a pleasure to be here today”, she said.
Source: Cyprus News Agency