Rebuilding dreams in Bulgaria: how Taekwondo is helping Ukrainian refugee children find strength again
Rebuilding dreams in Bulgaria: how Taekwondo is helping Ukrainian refugee children find strength again
Oleksii Zherebchevskyi stands proudly during the Taekwondo championship in Sofia, Bulgaria. The competition was organized by the refugee-led organization “Taekwondo School” and supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
A coach’s life transformed by conflict
When Oleksii Zherebchevskyi walks into the small sports hall in Sofia, he sees more than a room filled with mats and eager children. He sees the continuation of a dream that nearly disappeared in February 2022, when the fullscale invasion of Ukraine forced him and his students to flee their homes and their country.
In Kharkiv, Oleksii trained more than 100 children and young athletes, some of whom competed at national level. Among them were Vlad and Erika, who began training with him as small children and grew into disciplined, confident teens.
But when the full-scale war erupted, “the whole team scattered to save themselves,” Oleksii recalls.
Training stopped. Gyms closed. Dreams were paused.
Finding safety — and purpose — in Bulgaria
Seeking safety for his family, Oleksii fled to Bulgaria with his father, who has a disability and needs constant care. At first, Oleksii believed the move would be temporary. He waited for the war to end — through summer, then autumn, then the end of the year.
Only after many months did he realize he needed to rebuild, not wait.
In search of safety, his students also joined him in Bulgaria. Erika remembers: “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.”
Together again in Sofia, they made a decision: If they couldn’t return to their school in Ukraine, they would rebuild it in their host country.
Most of their new students are Ukrainian children who fled the war with their families. Many do not speak Bulgarian and struggle to adapt - but inside the taekwondo hall, language barriers fall away.
“They don’t know the Bulgarian language,” Erika explains, “and that’s why we are here”. Training with local children supports their adaptation and inclusion in the host country.
The classes give structure and belonging to young people who have lost so much. Not all will become athletes, and not all will compete professionally — but that isn’t the goal.
“Not everyone will become a champion,” Oleksii says. “Our task is to get them involved in sport.”
The children push through frustration, celebrate small victories, and rediscover confidence — one kick, one stance, one smile at a time.
Ukrainian children train three times per week and participate in taekwondo competitions to build resilience through sports.
In 2025, UNHCR provided funding support to the Taekwondo school which enabled Oleksii to rent a safe and stable training space, purchase essential equipment for the children, and organise a winter sports camp, giving young refugees an opportunity to bond, train, and regain confidence in a supportive environment.
This assistance turned a fragile idea into a functioning, vibrant community space - one that now supports dozens of displaced families seeking stability in Bulgaria.
A new dream, together
Today, Oleksii, Vlad, and Erika have a shared dream: to see their young team in Bulgaria participate at major competitions, so they learn more resilient skills.
But they know that medals aren’t the greatest prize. For them, the real victory is that they are together again - rebuilding a community, restoring hope, and helping children heal through sport.
In a quiet gym in Sofia, far from the home they miss, a dream that was nearly destroyed has come alive once more.
