About Believe
Believe is a free summer camp in Lviv for children whose lives have been upended by the war. For a few weeks each year, we give them somewhere to simply be children again.
Our next summer camp runs 29 June - 7 August 2026. We're counting down the days - just 13 more sleeps.
Have a child to enrol? Register for camp.
The story
The war has taken a great deal from Ukraine's children. Some have been displaced from their homes; many have a parent serving in the military. Routine has frayed, friendships have scattered, and the ordinary rhythms of childhood have grown hard to come by.
Believe exists to fill that gap. Camp gives children back the things that matter most at their age - joy, a steady routine, new friendships, and the confidence that comes from being well looked after. Alongside all of that, they learn English through play, opening a door to the wider world.
Every place is free. No family ever pays to send a child to Believe.
How camp works
Children join one of three age groups spanning ages six to sixteen, each meeting for around an hour and three-quarters. Sessions are built around English-through-play, so the language arrives naturally - through games, songs, stories, and conversation rather than drills.
Between sessions the days fill with crafts and hands-on workshops, where children make things they can be proud of and take home. One or two days a week we head out on an excursion - a science museum, a city park, a historic site - turning the lessons into real places and shared adventures.
Camp is held in a convenient, central location in Lviv.
The people
Believe was founded by Bernie Hogan, who came from Canada with a simple conviction: that these children deserve a summer worth remembering. The camp is led on the ground by a local Ukrainian director who knows the city and the families it serves.
Around them is an international team of English-speaking volunteers, working side by side with Ukrainian citizens. It is that partnership - visitors and locals together - that gives camp its warmth, and gives every child someone who understands them.
