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Episode details

World Service,09 Aug 2025,23 mins

Ukraine's summer camp for children of the missing

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Ukraine, Japan and Croatia. Nestled in the forest, far away from falling bombs is a pioneering summer camp for Ukrainian children whose parents have gone missing during the war. A Ukrainian charity is working to give them some relief – and much needed support – to help them cope with the ongoing uncertainty of not knowing where their parents are. Will Vernon visited the camp where art, exercise and self-expression are vital to the healing process. It’s 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. Some 200,000 people were killed - but the bombing had other long-lasting effects. Jordan Dunbar travelled to Hiroshima to speak to survivors who shared their stories of discrimination and social stigma. And finally the tiny Croatian island of Krapanj has long been renowned for its tradition of sponge diving, shaping the island’s identity for hundreds of years. Today, this trade is under threat from climate change and over-fishing. Mary Novakovich met one of the island’s remaining divers, determined to keep the culture alive. Image: Children hug each other after a group therapy session in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. Credit: John Murphy/BBC

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