Mini Base Camp

The war has stripped away Ukrainian children’s access to school, sports, and other vital physical outlets. Deprived of these essential activities, many children are left without the stability, social interaction, and physical play that are crucial for their development and well-being. Our Mini Base Camps address this gap and provide a fun space for children to play, learn new skills, and process their emotions in a safe environment surrounded by professionals.

An on-site art therapist integrates key components of our Healing Base Camp program and facilitates meaningful connections among the parents while the children work with guides to challenge their limits and confront their fears.

Our Lviv location hosts children of military families to a weekend program over 5 weeks at an indoor climbing gym.  Weather permitting, the team also uses an outdoor climbing location.  Parents are invited to meet with a therapist for one-on-one or group sessions. This program is organized and implemented in partnership with Ukrainian non-profit organization, Vector of Hope. The founding family of Vector of Hope has attended MSF’s flagship Healing Base Camp and is a trusted, long-time partner of MSF.  

Our Cherkasy location symbolizes growth in the partnership with the Cherkasy State Administration, who facilitated family selection for our Healing Base Camp in Austria in 2023.  Since October 2024, in cooperation with the Cherkasy Regional Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, the Cherkasy administration has organized MSF’s MBC program for military families. 

Our program has also recently expanded to operate in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv. The main focus of these programs are to engage children in climbing and provide psychological support.  MSF covers all the expenses and offers this program free of charge to military families.