In Vinnytsia, at Vocational School No.11, our trainers Olha Lisova and Viktoriia Yavdoshchak conducted a series of therapy sessions for two groups of children from internally displaced families. The focus of the work was not on discussing events themselves, but on the children’s inner world — their sense of safety, acceptance, and the freedom to be themselves.

At the beginning of the sessions, children often responded to painful topics with tension, anxiety, or withdrawal. Through consistent work and structured exercises, positive changes gradually emerged: reactions became calmer, and a stronger sense of inner stability and safety began to take shape.

One particularly telling story was that of a boy who had fled Kherson with his family. Being unable to return home for a long time had been extremely difficult for him. At first, he barely spoke and kept his feelings and thoughts to himself. Over time, however, he became more engaged in the sessions, began to express his thoughts openly, made friends within the group, and by the end of the program spoke about the joy and support he had gained through participating.

In Vinnytsia, at Vocational School No.11, our trainers Olha Lisova and Viktoriia Yavdoshchak conducted a series of therapy sessions for two groups of children from internally displaced families. The focus of the work was not on discussing events themselves, but on the children’s inner world — their sense of safety, acceptance, and the freedom to be themselves.

At the beginning of the sessions, children often responded to painful topics with tension, anxiety, or withdrawal. Through consistent work and structured exercises, positive changes gradually emerged: reactions became calmer, and a stronger sense of inner stability and safety began to take shape.

One particularly telling story was that of a boy who had fled Kherson with his family. Being unable to return home for a long time had been extremely difficult for him. At first, he barely spoke and kept his feelings and thoughts to himself. Over time, however, he became more engaged in the sessions, began to express his thoughts openly, made friends within the group, and by the end of the program spoke about the joy and support he had gained through participating.

For several months now, a camp for children from Donetsk region — a region that suffers daily from armed aggression — has been operating in Khmelnytskyi region. For many of these children, it has become not just a place for recreation, but a true refuge — a space where they can spend time in silence, regain their strength, and gradually restore a sense of safety.

In addition to leisure activities, the camp places significant emphasis on psychological support. Children have the opportunity to work with trainers from our project, who help them process and cope with the traumatic experiences of war. In November, the team conducted a “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy course. Six groups worked within the program, bringing together 77 children from Kramatorsk, Myrnohrad, Druzhkivka, Pokrovsk, and Sloviansk. For them this was a chance not only to change their surroundings, but also to gain practical self-help tools — techniques that help stabilize emotional states, reduce anxiety levels, and better understand their own feelings.

During the sessions, the trainers heard many painful stories. Children spoke about losing their homes, prolonged shelling, fear for their loved ones, and the constant tension that has become part of their everyday lives. At the same time, the results of the sessions were noticeable already during their stay at the camp: the children became more open and calmer, more willing to engage, and learned to talk about what they were going through.

In the current circumstances, such support is especially important. War deprives children of a sense of stability, and the task of adults is to help them preserve their inner anchors. Initiatives like this make it possible not only to temporarily distract children from the reality of war, but also to lay the groundwork for psychological recovery, which they will need both now and in the future.