On June 02, 2025, the training project for professionals working with children and adolescents in the fields of education and social protection has ended in Sumy. The “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” program provided participants with practical tools to support children in the challenging conditions of war.
Over five months — from January to May 2025 — school psychologists, social pedagogues, teachers, methodologists, and social service workers conducted therapy sessions with children, educators, and parents. This work took place under constant threat: Sumy and nearby communities experienced repeated shelling, which directly impacted the educational process and the psychological well-being of participants.
One of the most striking incidents occurred when a shell hit a schoolyard. Afterwards, students and teachers avoided entering the building for an extended period. Every wall, crack, and stairway became a reminder of life-threatening danger. The “Children and War, Teaching Recovery Techniques” program helped to swiftly overcome these emotional triggers, restore inner balance, and begin recovery. Teachers were able to first address their own fear and later assist children in dealing with acute reactions and returning to learning.
Twenty-two specialists have successfully completed the training and received trainer certificates. They were greeted by the program’s instructors and supervisors — Tetiana Oboyanska and Iryna Sukhova — as well as the group coordinator Khrystyna Kravchenko.
The project became not only a milestone in professional development for young specialists but also a significant contribution to strengthening psychological support within the educational environment of the frontline Sumy region. It represents the community’s response to the challenges of our time — a transformation of trauma into experience and action.
The training program was implemented within the “Helping Hand to Ukraine” project, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and financed by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
