Around two thirds of Ukrainian children have been displaced since war broke out earlier this year. When they leave home, they carry next to nothing with them on their escape from danger.
To help bring them a small comfort, residents across the more than 45 Ryman Healthcare villages in New Zealand and Australia are knitting ‘Yuri’ bears for as many children as possible.
For the woman behind the project, Ryman sales and community manager from Melbourne, Debra Richardson, the bears are especially meaningful.
A child she fostered from Ukraine in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in 1986 returned to his home country as an adult, and now fights with his countrymen there.
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Richardson’s former foster child, Yuri, is the namesake for the teddy bear project.
“He has made the decision to stay and fight for his country and his family have been evacuated to safety,” Richardson said.
“When I first shared the idea with Yuri he said: ‘Ukraine is stronger with your help, empathy, and love.’”
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Residents of Possum Bourne Village in Pukekohe have knitted 306 Yuri Bears for Ukrainian children, with more on the way.
Richardson hears less and less from Yuri every day, and the bears are a kind of connection for her to him as she worries about his safety.
“It is easy to feel totally helpless to what is going on, but small gestures like a handmade bear for a child who has lost almost everything can make a meaningful difference,” she said.
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Dozens of residents at the Possum Bourne village in Pukekohe have been hard at work for nearly two months.
Possum Bourne Village in Pukekohe has knitted 306 Yuri Bears, with more on the way. So far they have knitted the most out of any Ryman village working towards the 20,000 bear goal before they are shipped to the Ukraine-Poland border on September 30.
About 15 to 20 knitters have been hard at work since around mid-July. It takes about two days on average to build a bear – one day to knit the pattern, and another to sew the bear together and stuff them.
One resident, Cora Brookings, has been knitting at well above the average pace: on August 26 she began her 21st bear since July 22.
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Residents Alison Glasgow and Beverly Laurent say it’s a no-brainer to try and help the children of Ukraine.
Resident Beverly Laurent has 26 great-grandchildren, and so far has knitted seven ‘Yuri’ bears to sent to Ukraine.
“When you see some photos of Ukraine and some of those buildings that have been completely bombed out, well the children would have had nothing left, they would have had to leave in a hurry,” she said.
“At least they’ll have one thing to cuddle at night.”
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The residents of 45 Ryman Healthcare villages hope to knit 20,000 bears by the end of September.
Another resident, Alison Glasgow, said she was not surprised to learn Possum Bourne knitters were top of the leader board for most bears knitted in New Zealand so far.
“I would think most people here would be grandmothers, and all would be mothers. You can’t imagine what conditions would be like for children in a war zone,” she said.
“They’re out of their homes with no toys at all, I suppose. When we were asked to do this project, well you can see how people have gotten behind it. It’s admirable.”
There are 38 Ryman villages in New Zealand and seven in Australia. All the bears made will go to the Red Cross, which will deliver them to children in refugee camps on the border between Ukraine and Poland.
Elsewhere, Julia Wallace in Palmerston North has knitted around 185, Bruce McLaren in Botany and Jane Mander in Whangarei had both knitted around 120. But every day more bears are being knitted.
Russia launched a war against Ukraine around six months ago. The death toll of soldiers and civilians has been hard to tally, and official figures have proven tricky to verify.
But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said over tens of thousands of civilians have died, many of them children.
Ukraine is resisting a “special military operation” by Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin, which so far has led to Russia occupying some 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
Some 2.8 million Ukrainian people have left their country as refugees and crossed their border into Poland. Around half of those are under 18, according to the Centre for Citizenship Education Foundation, the largest education NGO in Poland.
If you want to help knit, you can access patterns and instructions for ‘Yuri’ bears on the Ryman Healthcare website.
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