Published on: 2026-09-02
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
This summer, several non-profit organizations in the capital once again organized shifts and offsite programs for their young wards. The children lived in tents, participated in a medieval fair, and climbed mountain peaks. With the help of charitable service On the portal mos.ru, citizens can support programs for children and adolescents.
For many children supported by charitable organizations, a trip to camp becomes one of the main events of the year. We tell you what this summer was remembered for by the wards of Moscow foundations and how you can help them in the future.
A family atmosphere for orphaned children
Charitable Foundation “Volunteers to Help Orphans” has been organizing a summer camp for 13 years. During this time, 381 children have attended it, 148 of whom now live in families. This summer, 15 young wards from various regions of Russia spent their vacation at the camp in the Ruza municipal district. It has a large area with a park, a farm, and playgrounds. Most of the children have health conditions, many are very young — not yet four years old. At the camp, children receive necessary consultations, undergo treatment and rehabilitation.
Children spend a lot of time outdoors, cooking, engaging in creative activities, and trying new things. The program includes master classes in yoga, ceramics, Chinese painting, construction, cooking, and others; the kids also work in the woodworking workshop.
If you ask the children themselves what they like the most, they remember not the activities, but the people who lead them: “I go to Tanya,” “I go to Oleg,” “I go to Pasha.” The fact is that orphans often lack the individual attention of a significant adult. Nannies play a special role here. They not only help with everyday tasks, such as getting dressed and maintaining hygiene, but also teach toddlers, who used to just lie down, to turn over, and children with motor impairments to hold a spoon and eat independently.
“For orphaned children, the camp is an opportunity not just to undergo treatment and rehabilitation, but to feel like ordinary boys and girls. The children often lack individual attention, so we strive to create a family atmosphere here, where each child has a significant adult who cares for them,” says Zarema Espaevа, project leader of “Children in Trouble” and coordinator of the summer camp of the charitable foundation “Volunteers to Help Orphaned Children.”
A few years ago, a nine-year-old boy named Vanya came to the camp. After a complicated surgery, the lower part of his body was in a cast. The boy was relearning to crawl and sit. By the end of the session, Vanya was fitted with orthoses, and he stood on his feet for the first time in his life. Today, the boy already lives with a family.
Rehabilitation for children affected by burns
Every year the charitable foundation “Children’s Hospital” organizes a summer camp for children who have suffered burn injuries. For several years now, the sessions have been held at a recreation center on the banks of the Volga in the Yaroslavl region. The camp hosts 45 schoolchildren — patients of the burn center at the G.N. Speransky Children’s City Clinical Hospital No. 9.
Not only counselors and a doctor work with the children, but also psychologists and play therapists who accompany the children starting from the hospital. The camp stay program is originally designed to help with psychological recovery, restore self-confidence, and teach how to communicate without worrying about external changes. The schedule includes creative workshops, theatrical performances, sports competitions, fishing, photo sessions, and daily psychological group sessions.
This summer, the children remembered the event “Medieval Fair” the most. The kids were divided into guilds of cooks, artists, tailors, and craftsmen, created coats of arms, and earned coins at masterclasses. The fair ended with a royal feast, where each person — child and counselor alike — was given a theatrical role. According to the foundation’s staff, such creative projects unite the team and give each participant the opportunity to gain recognition for their success.
Adaptive climbing
Charitable foundation “Life in motion” helps children with musculoskeletal system pathologies — those who move on prostheses, wheelchairs, live with the diagnosis “cerebral palsy,” or are without arms. For over 10 years the foundation has been implementing the project “Path to the Peaks,” in which the children go to climbing camps where they are prepared for real ascents. Previously, the camps were held in Crimea and the Elbrus region. This year, the foundation decided to try a new direction — Vladikavkaz. The children underwent a course of adaptive climbing and conquered the Digor Gorge.
“This project teaches children to understand that the impossible is possible. When kids look at the mountain, they think they will never climb it and that this story is not for them at all. But the foundation’s 11 years of experience shows that everyone takes their own peak. And when the kids come down, they are completely different, having believed in their own strength and convinced that all limitations are conditional. For example, this year Andrey stopped being afraid of heights, and Maxim reached the summit on the last day, even though he himself didn’t think he could,” says Maria Rafalovich, the director of the foundation.
Climbing experiences give self-confidence, the foundation notes. Afterwards, it is easier for the youngsters to find employment, acquire a profession, make friends, and start a family.
Mountain guide and project leader of “Path to the Summits” Anton Brichevsky notes: climbing may not be useful to children in everyday life, but the desire to win and conquer the summit will leave a mark and make them stronger.
The project was honored with three awards. Among them are “Best Social Project of Russia,” the international #WeAreTogether award, and the All-Russian “Face of the Nation” award.
Tent trip of the “Children Plus” foundation
Charitable foundation “Children Plus” He provides assistance to children born with the human immunodeficiency virus. For the third year, he has been organizing a four-day camping trip for teenagers to the Tula region.
This summer, the kids set up tents together, arranged the camp, cooked food over the fire, played football and volleyball, learned to shoot at targets, and went boating. After returning, they continued to communicate in the chat and meet up.
The foundation said that every day by the campfire, the children talked about how glad they were to have come. Everyone appreciated the attentive attitude towards each other, genuine care, and mutual support. For many of the children, given their previous experience with bullying, the opportunity to be in an environment where they are accepted and supported is very important.
For the foundation, this format is also a way to gently prepare teenagers for the transition to the adult hospital department, where the attitude of doctors is different and much depends on the patient’s own responsibility.
According to Renata, a psychologist and one of the organizers, during the retreat and subsequent group work, the kids learn to make decisions, distribute responsibility, collaborate as a team, and take care of each other. Moreover, they realize that they can ask for help and that they will be heard.
You can support the work of these and other charitable foundations in the capital through charity service on the mos.ru portal. Its page contains verified organizations — you can send them a one-time donation or set up a monthly subscription. The funds transferred will go toward covering treatment and rehabilitation programs, organizing future camp sessions, and other targeted assistance for those in need.
The work and functional development of the charitable service on the mos.ru portal are overseen by the city authorities Department of Information Technology and Committee on Public Relations and Youth Policy with the support of the Moscow Civic Chamber.
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To find out how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives aimed at making city residents’ lives even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future, you can explore the large-scale special project on the portal mos.ru, dedicated to the development of key sectors of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and construction.
On the project page “Social support and employment of the population” you can learn about opportunities for city residents in need of support. The capital provides comprehensive assistance to families facing difficult life situations, as well as to people with disabilities and participants in the special military operation. In Moscow Longevity Centers Regular exercise sessions and yoga, lectures, and other events are held. In addition, in the capital’s employment service, you can retrain and obtain a new in-demand profession.
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