Air raid alerts come almost every day. Then 18 children of a primary school in the Zaporizhzhia region must run to the shelter room. They stay there as long as the danger lasts. For exactly these 18 children, 18 backpacks were designed and packed with love on 28 May 2026 in Dietikon ZH.
One Backpack, Two Cultures
A department of Coop participated in the «Day of Good Deeds» and chose Ukraine Recovery Aid as their partner organisation. Under the motto «A Backpack Full of Hope», volunteers designed 18 backpacks together for our partner school in Zaporizhzhia.
The workshop used the Wybijka technique, a traditional Ukrainian textile dyeing method where wooden stamps and textile paints create unique patterns. Each backpack was decorated with Ukrainian and Swiss motifs – as a personal sign of solidarity. No two backpacks are alike. The Coop team supported the action with great commitment, and the Verein Kramer Lenzburg provided paints and materials.
What a Backpack of Hope Contains
After the workshop came the packing. Each backpack received art therapy materials: paints, paper, pens, brushes, modelling clay – everything children need in the shelter room or during their art therapy sessions to create something that gives them a moment of safety and peace. The materials were financed through donations from the Coop team.
On the Way
The 18 backpacks are on their way. They travel by post from Dietikon ZH to the Zaporizhzhia region, to a school that protects children from the war – and now also offers colours against their fear. Once they have arrived, photos of the handover will follow.
Thank You
A heartfelt thank you goes to the Coop team for their partnership and generous support, to the Kramer Lenzburg association for donating the art materials, and to all volunteers who made 28 May 2026 a special day – for 18 children who will soon hold something in their hands that gives them hope.
