Jena Welcomes Children from the "Ochmatdyt" Children's Hospital in Kyiv

The city of Jena welcomed a group from the “Ochmatdyt” Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. The group included children and adolescents who had been injured by Russian shelling, as well as accompanying family members and hospital staff. The group was guests in Weimar from September 11 to 21, 2026, at the invitation of the Thuringian State Chancellery and the Sophienhaus Foundation.

The program in Jena included visits to the Imaginata and the Ernst Abbe Library. Johannes Schleußner, the head of the Department of Education, Youth, Culture, and Sports, met with the group in person and welcomed them on behalf of the city.

The project was organized by the Sophienhaus Foundation as part of the Diakoniestiftung Thüringen network of organizations. The stay was funded by the “Thüringen hilft” donation fund of the Diakonie Mitteldeutschland, as well as by the TLZ, OTZ, TA, the Kinderhilfestiftung Jena e. V., the Thuringian State Chancellery, and private donations.

The visit was the result of a private initiative by Viola and Anatoli Michaelis.