On July 23, 2025, a day filled with creativity, connection, and emotional support was organized at the Asylum Center in Vranje for children and parents from Ukraine. In an atmosphere of trust and warmth, families had the opportunity to experience moments of peace and togetherness through art, conversation, and contact with nature—despite the challenges of displacement.

Part of the day was dedicated to making personalized bracelets with names and patterns, as well as felt keychain pendants. Children and parents together chose colors, fabrics, and symbols that reminded them of home, loved ones, or their personal hopes. Through this simple yet emotional process, meaningful objects were created—small signs of identity and presence.

Gulcan Guzel, an EU AID volunteer from Türkiye, led this creative-occupational workshop as part of the "Humanitarian Volunteering for Solidarity Activities" program, implemented by the Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (EHO) with support from the European Solidarity Corps. Her presence and carefully guided workshop provided participants not only with the opportunity to create something but also to be seen, heard, and included.

On the same day, psychological support was also offered—through individual and group sessions with professionals, where participants could share their feelings, traumas, and daily struggles. Special attention was given to parents, whose strength is often quiet but essential in the ongoing effort to provide safety and stability for their families.

Later in the day, we visited the garden behind the Children’s Corner—a carefully nurtured space where women from the camp grow vegetables from seeds they brought from Ukraine. For many of them, this garden is much more than a planting space. It is a place that heals, soothes, restores routine, and reconnects them with the life they had to leave behind. Gardening brings them a sense of purpose, belonging, and strength—with each leaf and fruit growing from the soil under their hands.

These activities are part of a broader program implemented by EHO with the support of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief of Global Ministries), aiming to provide not only assistance to refugees in Serbia through a holistic approach but also a sense that life—despite everything—can go on in a meaningful, creative, and dignified way.