VOA新闻杂志2022--在假期里让乌克兰儿童远离战争

Distracting Ukrainian Children from War during Holidays

Ukrainians have experienced nearly 10 months of war. This holiday season, people are trying to bring some peace and happiness to the country's children.

In what used to be a nice hotel near Kyiv, Ukrainian children shouted with happiness as they watched a special performance. They also were excited to open gifts.

The hotel outside Kyiv is now a rehabilitation¹ center. It houses children who have experienced the terror of the Russian invasion.

"When it's a holiday, it's easier," said Ksenia, a 12-year-old girl from Bakhmut. The center's officials asked not to use any child's last name for security reasons. Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, has been the center of a battle between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.

"We forget about the war. It's easier to distract," Ksenia added after the performance.

Ksenia was among the 62 children celebrating Saint Nicholas' Day on Monday. It is a traditional day when Ukrainian kids get presents. It also marks the beginning of the winter holiday season.

Artem Tatarinov is the director of the rehabilitation center. "Why do our soldiers fight?" he said. "For the sake of the future because without it, there will be nothing. And children are our future."

At the center, he said, there are children who have had to hide in shelters to escape bombs. Some have discovered their dead family members.

UNICEF estimates that at least 1.2 million out of Ukraine's 7 million children are currently displaced within the country.

The rehabilitation center houses children for two weeks. During that period, they get therapeutic² lessons and spend time with mental health experts to try to process the war.

"It is like a temporary rehabilitation from the war," said Alevtyna, a mentor³ at the center.

For children, Alevtyna said, the center can be like an island of happiness. But it is not easy for them.

"They often talk about the war, cry," she said. "Children are afraid to fall asleep, are afraid to turn off the light."

Over the past six months, the center has received more than 1,300 children from across the country.

"It is difficult to work like this when you see children who do not smile, when their childhood was taken away," said Tatarinov, the center's director. He said that he once met a 12-year-old boy who discovered the headless body of his brother after a strike. He was 10 meters away from their house.

"This is impossible to forget, but we do everything we can," added Tatarinov.

That is why this week, he and the mentors⁴ tried to celebrate the holidays. On Monday, the performance brought joy to the children for a short time.

"At least for an hour, but they can believe in miracles again, believe in goodness again, where fairy-tale heroes come," said Tetiana Hraban. She is head of the Golda Meir Institute of Civil Society. The group helped to organize the performance.

The actors on stage asked the children what they want for the holiday. The answers were shouted over each other: "A generator⁵." "A power bank." "A house."

"Victory!" said one child, and all the others repeated it.

Words in This Story

rehabilitation — n. bringing someone back to normal, healthy condition

distract — v. take attention away from something

therapeutic — adj. relating to treatment of illness

mentor — n. someone who teaches and gives advice

miracle — n. unusual event or achievement

stage - n. area in theater where performers stand

generator —n. a machine that produces electricity

1 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

2 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

3 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

4 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

5 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。