On Saturday, November 16th, the members of the "Klubok" club organized a day trip to the legendary Khortitsa Island for the young residents of the Prishib village of the Zaporozhzhye Region.
The goal of the event's sponsors is the wish to bring some variety to how the orphaned children and the children from large and poor families spend their free time, and also to inculcate the younger generation with the moral and cultural-aesthetic values.
Having obtained permission in advance from the management of the National Reserve Khortitsa, a 30-person group visited the Museum of History of Zaporozhzhye Cossacks and the historic-cultural compound "Zaporozhzhye Sech" for the first time.
The tour guides Elena Konovalova and Ekaterina Andusenko conducted fascinating tours through the museum and the historic-cultural compound, telling their young guests stories about the history, traditions, and everyday life of the people who used to reside in the Zaporozhzhye region in the days of yore. It is always a pleasure to deal with talented people who are professionals in their area. The tour was conducted in a friendly manner and was truly interesting and informative.
Having come out of the museum, the children ran up to the souvenir booth. Multi-colored beads, whistles, key chains and other wooden handicrafts that the seller had laid out in a neat and attractive displays, attracted the second-graders.
Anna, the seller of the souvenirs, made an exception for our group and let all the children buy souvenirs at a steep discount; she also gave the group's chaperones charming little wooden horseshoes, as a memento of the day and to bring them luck. Accompanied by children's laughter and the music, our group merrily walked towards the Sech together.
Here, the children were shown and told about the exhibits "The House of the Koshevoy Ataman", "Military Executive Office", "Kuren", "The Temple of Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary", and a new exhibit that's just opened this year, "Cossack Mamai and his pipe"
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to visit the historical sites of this island, to enjoy the beautiful views and to feel the spirit of the Zaporozhzhye army. Khortitsa is the largest island in the Dnepr River. The island is 12.5 kilometers long and up to 2.5 kilometers wide. This island is the only historical site in the Zaporozhzhye region, which contains historical artifacts from the Mesolithic period and up to today.
The children returned home to the village, excited and a little tired. The realization that the trip had been a success and the money spent on this event was well-spent, made the chaperones and sponsors happy as well.
The "Happy Child" Foundation would like to thank the following people:
The director of the National Reserve "Khortitsa" Ostapenko Maxim Anatolyevich,
The manager of the Scientific and Educational Department Dudarenko Sergey Valerievich,
The tour guides of the Museum of History of the Zaporozhzhye Cossacks and the Historic-cultural compound "Zaporozhzhey Sech" Elena Viktorovna Konovalova and Ekaterina Evgenyevna Andusenko.
The author of this article and the photographer - Julia Akhtman.
The staff of the "Klubok" would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
