UK newspaper sponsors Salvation Army summer camp for the children of Beslan
'I LOVE it here, everyone is so kind to us' ... 'I’ve never been to a water park before. This is a wonderful day for me' ... 'Being able to relax and have fun by the sea and being with people who care for us has been wonderful. I feel just great' ... 'This is the first time I’ve ever seen the sea, it’s amazing.'
These were just some of the many comments made during the recent summer camp for the surviving victims of the school siege in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia. The first anniversary of the tragedy is on 1 September.
Sponsored by UK newspaper The Sun through donations from readers and other supporters, the camp enabled more than 90 children and some of their close relatives to relax together on the shores of the Black Sea, not far from the town of Tuapse.
The Salvation Army's Eastern Europe Territory, under the direction of Cliff Worthing, organised and staffed the camp. It worked closely with Living Waters, a Christian organisation that has been providing counselling and support to the children of Beslan and their families. Paula O’Keefe, a British psychologist who has lived in the North Caucuses for over 11 years, led the Living Waters team.
The theme of the camp, 'A Step Forward', focused on ways to gently help the children take a step away from the pain and sadness of the past year and look forward to the positive aspects of their future.
Every day of the camp was packed with activities for the children, with time also just to relax and unwind in a loving and positive environment. Twice a day the children went down to the beach with their group leaders and did all the things that children do at the beach – splash, swim, play in the sand and enjoy the sunshine.
Craft was another popular activity, with many children decorating mugs and making prayer-journals, cards and plaster figurines. The older children created designs for and painted their own t-shirts, an elaborate process that took many of them the whole camp to complete. They also played basketball and badminton, got soaked during water games, visited a 'zoo' where staff dressed up as different animals, earned tokens in a mini Olympics tournament which they could spend at a special 'market' and had regular evening concerts, dances, and sing-alongs.
Excursions to a water park and a dolphinarium were among the programme’s highlights. The older children also had the opportunity to experience adventure hikes involving abseiling, rock-climbing and outdoor survival skills.
The programme for the parents and other adults included Bible study and discussion groups, time at the beach and crafts. Child-minding was also provided. Every evening parents and staff spent time together over tea and coffee, with the opportunity for discussion.
Salvation Army staff from Moscow visited during the camp, touring the campsite and getting to know the children.
The international flavour of the camp was reflected in the staff. Volunteers were from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Australia, the UK and Canada. The Salvation Army's USA Southern Territory also provided a team of young people.
Louisa Clark, part of the UK Territory’s Trauma Care Team, gave seminars on grief, bereavement, trauma, self-awareness and de-briefing as well as worked individually with some of the older teenagers and parents.
The children and families of Beslan would like to thank The Sun newspaper and its readers for the generous donations and personal concern which made this summer camp possible.
'This has been such a blessing for me,' said one mother. 'To see my children laughing and having fun again helps me to have hope.'
'I hope we do this again next year,' said 13-year-old Fatima. 'It was just the best!'
