Brighten up the lives of Ukrainian refugee children
An interactive book set with comforting stories that reconnects families from Ukraine
An interactive book set with comforting stories that reconnects families from Ukraine
Non-profit project under patronage of:
Laurentien van Oranje
Olena Zelenska
Elke Büdenbender
Doris Schmidauer
That’s a quarter of the child population in Ukraine.
Almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees are now in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria.
Better Times Stories is a volunteer based effort to directly connect donors and refugee children
Books were left behind with only a few things to carry while fleeing the war in Ukraine. No reading time for months, and counting.
A new language environment causes children to fall behind in development, combined with social distress.
Fathers and many other relatives are staying behind in Ukraine with the possibility that they will never see or hear from them again.
Carefully selected stories from the Top 5 bestselling illustrators and authors that help children cope with their situations. Bringing a piece of home to the children.
Bilingual books with professionally narrated audiobooks in both languages helping kids with early reading and new language.
Helping children to deal with separation. Fathers and other relatives narrate the books that could be read along anytime and as many times as kids wish.
€60 package as €15 donation gift (exl. shipping)
For kids
aged 3 to 7
Shipping now:
NL, BE, DE, AT
A specially designed package for kids aged 3 to 7 in this particular situation. Five bilingual interactive picture books unite them with fathers and help them to adapt to their new language environment.
Contents:
- 5x bilingual picture books
- 10x professionally narrated audiobooks (1.5 hours)
- up to 25x family narrations (remotely recorded stories by family members staying behind in Ukraine)
- DIY crafts box to create your own talking character.
Donating? Once donated, your gifts will be automatically matched and delivered to the family that requested a package. You will be notified once the package(s) are delivered.
Requesting? As Ukrainian refugee family with temporary residence in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), Germany or Austria you can request a free package. Once requested, we will do our best to match you with a donor and ship the package.
Helping children to cope with separation. Each book is remotely recordable by family members staying behind in Ukraine.
1
Simple as sending a text.
2
Open your personal link and start reading the story.
3
Connecting children with separated fathers and other relatives for a storytime
Each book could be narrated by up to 5 family members.
Reading is essential for children’s language development. Our bilingual picture books include both text and audio narration in two languages.
Kids can immediately tap and play audiobooks with music and sound effects in both languages. They can read along while they learn the words of the new language. These are the people helping out the children who need it:
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We've created a special package to give the best gifting experience, which helps children (re)connect with you as the giver and with family members who may be far away. First, kids get to explore their creativity with arts and crafts, learning how to create their own talking characters and using their imaginations and language skills. Then, they get to read and listen in both languages. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Better Time Stories allows fathers and other relatives in Ukraine to record a story once, so the kids can listen to a familiar voice during the day or when falling asleep. We hope this package helps you and your family stay connected and have fun together!
For best experience either individually or group setting - we recommend combining crafts workshop with reading session during the gifting moment. Learn more about it here.
This incredible pricing is made possible because our initiative operates on a non-profit basis. We are extremely grateful to our partners who support us in bringing these packages to you. Our primary objective is to make these gifts accessible, both for those giving the packages and the families receiving them. It's important to note that these packages are not sold; instead, all payments are considered donations. By treating payments as contributions, we can provide these valuable packages at such an affordable price.
Packages are designed and created for Ukrainian refugee families with children ages 3 to 7. In Dutch/Ukrainian version for families in the in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), and German/Ukrainian in Germany and Austria. Bilingual picture books and audiobooks helps children and parents to master the new language. One package per family.
We deeply appreciate your donation and commitment to supporting Ukrainian refugee families. After each month, we carefully review the total donation amount received. We then divide this amount by €15 to determine the number of vouchers we can issue for free gift packages. These vouchers are subsequently distributed to Ukrainian refugee families in need from our designated list. Your contribution directly contributes to bringing joy and comfort to these families. Thank you for your generosity and for making a meaningful difference in their lives.
We appreciate your intention to gift the package to the Ukrainian family you are hosting. It's easy to do so! Just click on the "Gift" button, select the appropriate country, and proceed with the checkout. During the checkout process, please provide the necessary information, including the shipping address. Remember, your payment will be treated as a donation. Thank you for your generosity in making these gifts possible for the Ukrainian family you are hosting.
We appreciate your intention to help children (re)connect with this amazing gift. It's simple to do so! Just click on the "Gift" button, choose the relevant country, and proceed to checkout. During the checkout process, kindly provide the required information, including the shipping address. Please note that your payment will be treated as a donation. We sincerely thank you for your generosity in making these gifts possible and bringing joy to the children.
You can make a direct donation and we ship the gifts to the families on our list or you can decide to gift the packages either personally, together with your employees or digitally (a gift voucher will be created for each €15 amount). For example, your organization decided to donate €1500, which is an equivalent for 100 gift packages. A special code for check-out is created YOUR-COMPANY-NAME-GIFT-TO-UA-KIDS that allows to order one free gift. Either we or together with you spread the vouchers digitally to Ukrainian families. Please write us an email at support@bettertimestories.com
We ship packages to specific countries based on language versions. German/Ukrainian packages are sent to Germany and Austria, while Dutch/Ukrainian packages are shipped to the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). We work with trusted partners like PostNL, efulfillment, Deutsche Post, or DHL for safe and efficient delivery. Packages can be delivered to home addresses or organization/business addresses. One gift delivered as a single unit in a letterbox, while two or more require boxes for multiple packages. We strive to process and dispatch orders promptly, but shipping times may vary based on location and logistics. Our goal is to bring joy to Ukrainian refugee families in need by ensuring packages reach them as quickly as possible.
We would like to kindly remind you that our organization doesn't directly distribute the gifts. It is the incredible sponsors and gifters who generously support children in need.
Currently, all packages for which we have collected donations have already been shipped.
If you would like to personally gift to a child, you can click on the "Gift" button to proceed with the individual gift process. Alternatively, you can start a fundraiser here to collectively gather funds, which can later be exchanged for gifts. In this case, we will provide you with vouchers corresponding to the amount collected.
We appreciate your understanding and participation in bringing joy to Ukrainian children through your generosity. Thank you for being a part of this meaningful initiative.
Collecting money for Ukrainian children and gifts is a straightforward process that can be initiated in just two simple clicks. Click on "Start a fundraiser here" to begin, and then choose the fundraiser type that suits your preferences:
1) Physical gifts: By selecting this option, you can exchange the collected amount for packages that will be shipped to your organization or team. You will have the opportunity to personally distribute these gifts among Ukrainian families in need.
2) Digital gifts: Opting for this type allows you to exchange the collected amount for vouchers that can be redeemed for free packages. You can then distribute these vouchers among Ukrainian families, enabling them to select their own gifts.
3) Collecting money: With this option, the collected amount is used to issue vouchers directly to Ukrainian families on our designated list. This ensures that the funds are utilized effectively to benefit those in need.
Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Please mail us at support@bettertimestories.com