First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska held traditional Christmas readings at the Okhmatdyt Children's Specialized Hospital. This marks the third such event since 2021, featuring tea-time readings that take place at the hospital with the participation of the President's wife.
The purpose of the event is to create a circle of support, festive mood and home comfort for children treated at Okhmatdyt. Each time, the First Lady chooses a book that is motivating and can be of interest to both children and adults.
This time, the book "Keys of Power" by Ukrainian psychologist and writer Svitlana Royz was chosen. It is dedicated to the topic of emotions and their conscious experience by children. How to cope, for example, with the fear of the dark? How can a child express anger without behaving aggressively and at the same time suppressing the emotion within? Why are we sad and is it possible to make friends with sadness? How can the power of guilt be transformed into responsibility? And why is it really so important to gain the power that comes from joy? How can we learn to rejoice and how does joy invigorate us like a battery?
"This is the second time we are holding meetings amidst the enemy's invasion and our country's fight for life. But the opportunity to get together on a winter evening to read something that will give us the strength to live and keep fighting is all the more precious. This is also the goal of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, so today's book with psychological advice in a playful way can really help many children and even adults," Olena Zelenska noted.
This year's tea-time readings were attended by patients of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Department of the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdyt". Together with the Olena Zelenska Foundation and the partners of the Christmas on the Doorstep initiative, the First Lady handed over gifts to the children treated at Okhmatdyt. She thanked H&M, the Lego Foundation, the Ukrainian Food Banks Federation, and the Ukrainian embassies in Sweden and Denmark for their cooperation.
"May all Ukrainians have enough strength to overcome all challenges. I wish everyone to find their own keys to strength – reliable and inexhaustible," the President's wife summarized.
