'A chance to play': Montreal summer camp opens for young Ukrainians

As hundreds of Ukrainians who fled the war settle in Montreal, a new summer camp is offering a much-needed break for children and their parents.

More than 120 Ukrainian children between the ages of five and 12 are getting the quintessential Canadian camp experience.

"Seeing them making friends as well, and finding some sense of normalcy -- that brings us joy," said Meagan Johnson, co-founder of Monarque Tutoring, the tutoring company running the camp.

The camp is bringing relief to mothers like Anna Shalahai, who had to leave her husband behind and is navigating a new country as a single parent.

"My husband stayed in Kyiv. He is a doctor, he saves people's lives everyday. I don't know when he'll come back to us," she said.

The camp gives her two young sons a chance to be kids.

"When they play at camp, they don't miss home," Shalahai said.

With her boys busy at camp -- where most of the counsellors speak Ukrainian -- it also gives her time to take language classes and look for a job.

Kathy Smolynec, president of the Ukrainian National Federation (UNF)'s Montreal branch, said the camp's goal is to relieve some of the burden Ukrainian immigrants face.

"We really knew that camps, day camps, would really be helpful. They would allow the mothers to work a little bit, take French courses, and give the kids a chance to play a bit, and forget the war," she explained.

It's also giving the children an education on Montreal culture.

"We've been walking around the neighbourhood, sampling bagels and smoked meat, so we're introducing them to the Montreal culture," said Meagan Johnson.

The camp is free for families and was funded by Fuel Transport, the UNF and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), among other donors.