A handmade bear with a note for a child at St Nicholas Children’s Hospital

Handmade bears for children

Handmade with love by UK volunteers and sponsored with personal messages of kindness, our crocheted teddy bears bring comfort, joy and a reminder of international solidarity to children receiving treatment and rehabilitation in Ukraine.

Status: Seasonal · Ongoing
Location: St Nicholas Children’s Hospital · Ukraine
Start date: Started Dec 2025
Next season: Planned to return in Dec 2026

Support for childrenHumanitarian support

The essentials

About this project

Who it supports
Our handmade bears program supports children receiving treatment and rehabilitation at St Nicholas Children's Hospital and UNBROKEN KIDS in Lviv. Many are recovering from serious illness, injury or the wider consequences of war. Each bear offers a small gesture of comfort, kindness and connection during what can be a difficult and uncertain time for children and their families.
What it involves
Volunteers in the UK hand-crochet small teddy bears, each one individually made with care. Supporters can sponsor a bear and include a short handwritten message sharing love, encouragement and good wishes with the child who receives it. The completed bears and accompanying messages are delivered to St Nicholas Children's Hospital and UNBROKEN KIDS in Lviv, where they are given to children receiving treatment and rehabilitation. Each bear represents a personal connection between someone offering kindness and a child experiencing a challenging period in their life.
Who delivers it
The program is made possible by a dedicated community of UK volunteers who lovingly crochet individual teddy bears, alongside donors who sponsor each bear and write a personal message for the child who will receive it. Fierce Calm coordinates the initiative, connecting the generosity of volunteers and supporters in the UK with children receiving medical and rehabilitation care in Ukraine.
Partners involved
The program connects Fierce Calm's UK volunteer and donor community with two important Ukrainian children's healthcare institutions: St Nicholas Children's Hospital, Lviv — providing specialist medical care for children with serious illnesses and injuries; and UNBROKEN KIDS — supporting children undergoing rehabilitation and recovery. Through these relationships, Fierce Calm helps turn international solidarity into small but meaningful gestures of personal care for children and their families.
What it aims to support
The program aims to bring moments of comfort, reassurance and joy to children undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. Beyond the gift itself, each bear carries a personal message of kindness, reminding children and their families that people beyond Ukraine are thinking of them and wishing them well. The initiative also creates meaningful opportunities for people in the UK to express solidarity through a simple, personal act of care.