In 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion, two former AFP journalists founded SOS Ouman with the mission of helping victims of the war in Ukraine. Both benefit from solid experience in difficult terrain and in setting up complex logistical operations.

Since then, SOS-Ouman has organized 11 road convoys and delivered 170 tons of humanitarian aid to Uman (a strategic location between Kyiv and Odesa, a crossroads for refugees, but also an ideal platform for distributing multifaceted humanitarian aid).

Not far from Odesa, in Berezivka, there is a rather special school. It welcomes 147 children from underprivileged backgrounds who suffer from intellectual disability and severe hearing impairment.

Some of them are "internally displaced persons" who were forced to flee war zones, others have lost a parent or relative, and all are confronted daily with active combat : the region is regularly struck by missiles and attack drones, and air raid alerts are part of daily life. These alerts force them to take shelter for hours in cramped and anxiety-inducing underground bunkers.

They represent an added difficulty for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. Sound signals must imperatively be supplemented by lighting systems or visual instructions. War has thus been a massive source of stress and trauma for five years.

The school's primary mission is to enable these children to integrate into society through an adapted level of education, improved hearing, and psychological, medical, and social support.

Fondation La Petite Etoile is participating in this project, which aims to provide hearing aids to children aged 7 to 19. Digital hearing aid fitting is an essential condition for their academic success and social integration.

Location of intervention : Berezivka Special School, 11 km from Zhytomyr (Ukraine)

Number of children concerned : 10

Total budget : € 20,660

Co-funding partners : Fondation La Petite Etoile, SOS Ouman (own funds), OTICON (equipment supplier)