Support us with the next Hug for Heroes camp.

Rebuilding Lives: Join Us in Funding the Next Hug for Heroes Camp

War leaves visible scars - and invisible ones. For Ukrainian veterans returning from the front, the greatest battles often begin after the war: sleepless nights, fractured families, the search for purpose. These struggles rarely show in the headlines, but they define everyday life for thousands of men and women who once stood to defend freedom.

In August 2025, Help Ukraine Gothenburg (HUG) launched the pilot of Hug for Heroes - Sweden’s first international recovery and training camp for Ukrainian veterans and their families. For two weeks, participants lived, trained, and healed together on the Swedish west coast. It was more than a retreat. It was a space of strength, trust, and rebuilding.

Why a Camp?

Traditional rehabilitation often isolates the veteran - within hospital walls, away from family and community. Hug for Heroes takes a different path. Our approach combines:

• Psychological support with NATO-certified military psychologists,
• Adaptive physical activities in Swedish nature,
• Workshops for families, giving partners tools to understand trauma and rebuild relationships,
• Skill-building sessions to prepare veterans for future leadership in their communities.

As program coordinator Rodion Hryhoryan put it:

“Reintegration doesn’t begin in a clinic. It begins where a person is seen, heard, and supported again.”

The Pilot Camp: Real Change, Real People

Over 14 days, veterans and their loved ones rediscovered parts of themselves they thought lost. They climbed, paddled, trained in adaptive sports, and sat in circles sharing stories. They met leaders like David Lega, Swedish Paralympian and former Member of the European Parliament, who reminded them: “We are all humans; we need to be needed.”

They visited a Viking village, explored Swedish traditions, and learned how connection across cultures can build resilience. In daily therapy sessions, silence gave way to words, and pain gave way to hope.

Pavlo, one participant, shared:

“I thought I had forgotten what it meant to be grateful. But this journey restored that meaning. I met people who saw me not as disabled, but as human. Gratitude returned to my heart.”

Another couple, Mykola and Kateryna Hradnov-Savytskyi, reminded us that trauma - and recovery - belongs to both:

“While we fought on the front lines, our partners fought to hold our families together. This trauma isn’t mine alone - it belongs to both of us. But so does resilience.”

Why We Need Your Support

The pilot camp showed us what is possible. Veterans returned home with new tools, restored confidence, and, most importantly, the capacity to support others in their communities. Hug for Heroes is designed as a peer-to-peer model: each participant becomes a source of support for others, multiplying the impact across Ukraine.

But one camp is not enough. The need is overwhelming. Every veteran carries a story like Pavlo’s. Every family deserves the chance to heal together.

That’s why we are now fundraising for the next Hug for Heroes camp. With your support, we will bring another group of veterans and their families to Sweden - creating another circle of recovery, trust, and leadership.

How You Can Help

💙 Donate today. Every contribution, big or small, helps cover travel, housing, therapy, and activities.
💛 Share our story. By spreading the word, you help us reach others who can stand with Ukraine’s veterans.
⚡ Stand with us. Your support means not just survival, but a future of strength and leadership.

Recovery is not charity. It is an investment - in people who have already given everything for freedom.

Join us. Help us build the next Hug for Heroes.

Together, we can turn recovery into resilience, and resilience into leadership. 💙💛

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