Anniversary of the Full-Scale War: Supporting Children Today

Today marks four years since the start of the full-scale war.
Ukrainians have been living in the reality of war since 2014. Throughout all these years, it has been present in our children’s lives — in air raid alarms, displacement, the loss of home, and growing up too soon.

All this time, we have been standing with children.
We hold a safe and supportive space, listen, help them process what is difficult, and gradually restore a sense of safety.
Our psychological support groups are a place where a child does not have to be “strong” — where it is okay to cry, feel anger, stay silent, and learn to trust the world again.

According to official data from international and Ukrainian organizations, millions of Ukrainian children are growing up in conditions of war and constant stress.
Behind every number are real stories — small shoulders carrying a burden far too heavy for childhood.

Today, we especially want to thank everyone who makes this work possible:
our defenders — for the chance to live and to help;
volunteers — for their daily, often unseen but vital work;
our trainers and psychologists — for their resilience, professionalism, and humanity;
our partners and donors — for the trust and support that allow this help to continue.

We do not know how long the war will last.
But we know for certain: children need support now.
And we will continue doing our work for children.

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In the village of Orynyn in the Khmelnytskyi region, we continue to run psychological support groups for children who come to the “Smarahdove Misto” (Emerald City) camp. For many of them, this is the first opportunity in a long time to exhale, to be in a safe place, and to feel that caring and attentive adults are nearby. This time, our trainers held six therapy groups for 64 children from the Donetsk region.

We worked in small circles so that each child had space to speak — or, if not yet ready, simply to be present among others. Through simple yet effective exercises, the children learned to recognize their emotions, calm themselves in moments of anxiety, and talk about fear and sadness without judgment or pressure.

It was visible how the mood of the group began to change after just a few meetings: more smiles, more mutual support, more courage in their words. The children started not only to listen, but also to support one another. And this is one of the most valuable outcomes.

For children from regions where the war continues every day, these meetings are not just another activity in the camp program. They are an opportunity to feel stability, to learn how to cope with inner tension, and to regain at least partial sense of control over their own lives.

We continue this work because we see its impact. And we will remain alongside children wherever they need support the most.