Return of 17-year-old Denys from the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia

Denys* is seventeen. He was doing everything he could to escape to the territory of free Ukraine from the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, where he had lived since childhood. He managed to reach the age of majority. His rescue was made possible by the efforts of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

Denys is an orphan. Like his sister and brother, who serves in the Armed Forces. His father died and his mother did not live with the family.

Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, he has lived in his hometown, which came under occupation. Since the beginning of the occupation, he has been looking for an opportunity to leave. This attempt to do so is not the first, but finally successful.

Denys goes to Zaporizhzhia to his aunt, who takes custody of him and will help his nephew to rebuild his life and build a future.

Upon his return, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network will support the boy’s family. Our case managers and a psychologist will take him under their care: they will conduct an initial assessment of his needs and try to provide him with everything he needs.

Today my aunt is picking up her nephew from the train.

We are happy to see him back and tell Denys: “Welcome home!” And soon we are waiting for the boy and his guardian at our rehabilitation camp in Truskavets as part of the Way to the Future project, where we will help him not only recover psychologically, but also spend useful and interesting time with his peers.

* The child’s name has been changed for safety reasons

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“The Way Home” is a project aimed at finding and returning children displaced to Russia or to the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine, as well as reuniting families whose children are without parents during the occupation. The project is implemented by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network in partnership with Save the Children in Ukraine.

Our other partners are: Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, EDUKIDS Charitable Foundation, Media Initiative for Human Rights.

The materials developed within the project do not necessarily reflect the official position of Save the Children.