On October 7-9, 2022, a three-day “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” was held for 24 educators in Kyiv in cooperation with the Kyiv City Teacher’s House. The training was held within the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project with the financial support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF). In August 2022 CUF provided a grant to expand a trauma therapy program, which trains the trainers to work with children and adults with war trauma. The project is implemented by the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation with the support of American and Canadian partners, HOPE worldwide (USA) and HOPE worldwide Canada.

The training in Kyiv is the first one out of 12 “Children and war. Teaching Recovery Techniques” trainings that will be held within the framework of the CUF grant. 24 educators from Kyiv attended the training. They will continue to work with children and adults, teaching them effective self-help techniques and war trauma overcoming methods.

“These have been three unforgettable days of live communication, repetition of important theory and acquisition of extremely useful practical skills. I am sincerely thankful to the project trainers – Iryna Sukhova, Nataliya Podolyak and Tetyana Oboyanska. I am also happy to meet my colleagues and look forward to fruitful cooperation in future, – says Olena Lutsenko, methodist of the methodical department of the Teacher’s House.

Here are some reviews of the participants:

“For me, the topic is extremely relevant. Parents and pupils who suffered from military operations ask for help. I liked the professional teaching, good preparation and trainers’ tolerance. The content corresponds to our current life needs. I believe that using these techniques in my work will allow me to reduce the PTSD levels of the children and adults who turn to me for help. Thank you very much for such an effective and important tool in my work as a practical psychologist” – Oksana Malyuga.

“The topic of the training is very relevant, because now we, the whole country, are in extremely difficult military conditions. Everyone suffers, both adults and children, but especially our future growing generation. Therefore, equipping them with psychological techniques in these conditions can save not only their psyche, but also their lives! “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training equipped me with new techniques, exercises, and lifehacks. I enjoyed the pleasant taste of live/offline communication, tried myself in a new role as a future trainer and I really liked it. And the most important thing for me is that I realized that I am on the right path! THANK YOU! Everything will be Ukraine!” – Darya Shahanova.

“Now I feel the strength to help, as I got new knowledge and techniques. It’s great that everything was live/offline. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with colleagues, to be in a circle of like-minded people. Thank you for the opportunity to join the program, for the wonderful trainers, and for meeting new colleagues. It is wonderful and very valuable that the training program is standardized and it is easy to understand the step-by-step actions, that all the materials are approbated. And the program’s effectiveness is researched and proven. Thank you for your warmth and desire to share knowledge. I dream that this program is conducted in every school and we will all become stronger and mentally healthy!” – Oleksandra Hudkova.

Photo album on Facebook

In August and September 2022, the trainers’ team conducted the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions for children who came to rest at the “Forest Song” sanatorium, located near the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi. 136 children received psychological and emotional support. They also learned how to use self-help techniques to deal with stress, anxiety, fears and intrusive memories. Among the participants there were local children, children from vulnerable families, and children who fled the war zone. All of them were happy to attend the sessions with the trainers, Larysa Sushko, Oksana Strilchuk, and Tetyana Solovei. They gladly visited them in their free time after sessions just to talk about personal issues. The staff of the sanatorium was also grateful, because such work with children’s hearts in the conditions of war is priceless.

Photo album on Facebook

On September 23-25, 2022 a “Children and war. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training was held in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region. The event took place within the framework of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project thanks to the fruitful cooperation of the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation and the Headquarters of SOS Civil Defense. Sixteen participants took part in the training. It was conducted by the project’s trainers and psychologists – Iryna Sukhova and Tetyana Oboyanska.
Kamianets-Podilskyi is a beautiful and ancient city in western Ukraine with a unique history, nature, and architecture, with a population of 100,000 citizens. Now this city hospitably hosts thousands of internally displaced families with children who are fleeing the war and need psychological help. Therefore, new knowledge and self-help techniques based on the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology, which the new trainers have learned at the training, are very relevant right now. They will help in working with IDPs and providing psychological assistance to both children and adults.

Photo album on Facebook

On September 19-23, 2022 two “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” online trainings were held within the frames of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project. The trainings were conducted by certified trainers of the Project – Iryna Sukhova, Nataliya Podolyak and Olena Bozhor. Online trainings were attended by 72 participants from Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, Kropyvnytskyi, Mukachevo, Kramatorsk, Severodonetsk, and other cities and towns of Ukraine. There were also participants from France, the Czech Republic and Romania. The trainings are complete, the newly trained have received important knowledge, learned effective methods for working with PTSD, and practical tools to help children and parents affected by the war. We wish them fruitful work and good results!

Photo album on Facebook

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) has provided a grant towards the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” – trauma therapy program, which trains instructors to work with war trauma in children and adults using the unique methodology “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques”. The project is implemented by the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation with the support of Canadian partners, HOPE worldwide Canada.

The grant is for 2 years. During this time, 12 trainings will be held in the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology. As a result, 240 instructors will be trained, they will acquire new knowledge, and will, in turn, provide psychological assistance to 10,000 children in Ukraine.

“The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is committed to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects generated by Canadians and directed to Ukraine”, says Victor Hetmanczuk, Chair of the Board of CUF. “We are proud to partner with HOPE worldwide Canada by providing a grant to help provide mental health support to children and their families in Ukraine.”

Taras Kulish, International Relations Volunteer of HOPE worldwide Canada, states: “HOPE worldwide Canada has worked hand in hand with HOPE worldwide Ukraine since 2015 to bring the Helping Hand for Ukraine trauma therapy program to thousands of children and families from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Since February 24, 2022, as soon as we were able to ascertain that all the members of our Ukrainian team were safe, we set about to pivot and expand the program to deal with the growing mental health crisis directly caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are pleased to welcome the Canada-Ukraine Foundation as a key long-term partner. We plan, with the support of CUF, to expand our programs and help a larger swathe of the Ukrainian population than we were previously able to serve.”

“The support of our partners is extremely important for Ukraine in these difficult times,” – says Volodymyr Yermakov, President of “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation, – “because while we hope for victory and the end of the war in the nearest future, we understand that the work with the war trauma will continue for years. Thus, as of the beginning of August, 13 million Ukrainians have already left their homes. Of them, 6.4 million have moved to Europe, and 6.6 million people have become internally displaced in Ukraine. This has had a detrimental effect on the mental state of the population. Millions of people need help, including children. The most common symptoms are chronic stress, anxiety, panic attacks, sleeping problems, insomnia in adults, fear of loud noises, loss of appetite, as well as bedwetting and nightmares for children. However, not everyone will need specialized help. Moreover, our methodology is precisely aimed at teaching children and adults effective techniques and tools for self-help and overcoming trauma in order to prevent them from developing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other mental disorders, and to give them the opportunity to live a fulfilling life in the future.”

The methodology “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” is an effective tool of psychological self-help for people with traumatic consequences of war, natural disasters, and other cataclysms. It works well with both children and adults, as it is a result of the combined years of direct experience of working with child survivors of war and disaster.

The methodology was developed in 1998 by professionals from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, and the Center for Crisis Psychology in Bergen, Norway, and has been used after earthquakes in Iran, India, Chile, and China, the tsunami in South East Asia in 2000, as well as war conflicts in Africa, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine. The manual “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” has been translated and adapted by experts from the Ukrainian Institute of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Lviv, Ukraine). Since 2015, it has been successfully used to teach trainers and to conduct therapy courses in Ukraine within the framework of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, implemented by “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCE INFORMATION
International Charity Project “Helping Hand for Ukraine” exists since 2015. The Project aims to improve the socio-emotional and psychological state and wellbeing of children with war trauma and their families who witnessed and suffered from the war against Ukraine. The Project trains the trainers to work with the “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology; provides psychological assistance to children and their parents with war trauma, teaching them skills of psychological self-regulation and self-assistance and techniques of relaxation; fosters cooperation with state social services in order to ensure immediate attention from professionals to cases of mild and severe mental problems as well as constant aftercare and social support. More information about the Project is provided on the website of “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation.

Contact person for media: Olga Batiuk, mob. +38 050 359 7266 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp), olga.batiuk@gmail.com

Photo album on Facebook

The “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training took place in Kyiv on September 9-11 within the frames of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project. The training was conducted by certified project trainers and psychologists – Iryna Sukhova, Nataliya Podolyak, and Olena Bozhor. 27 participants took part in the training, among them were teachers, psychologists, doctors, professionals with PhD degree. And despite different professional activity and experience, everyone appreciated new knowledge about healing techniques that help to recover in the most difficult life situations. By working through their personal traumatic situations in the circle of colleagues and coaches, each of the participants gained useful knowledge and practical skills for overcoming the trauma of war and PTSD, which is currently necessary for all Ukrainians – both children and their parents, who suffered from the war in Ukraine.

Photo album on Facebook

During the 6 months of the full-scale russian invasion in Ukraine, almost 3,000 internally displaced people, including 1,037 adults, 1,645 children within Ukraine and 225 children abroad, received psychological help within the trauma therapy program. In addition, 722 specialists became trainers in the method of helping people to cope with war trauma. From now on they will teach young and adult Ukrainians the self-help techniques for healing traumatic psychological consequences of war, using the unique methodology “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques”, developed by British and Norwegian scientists.

The methodology “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” is an effective tool of psychological self-help for people with traumatic consequences of war, natural disasters, and other cataclysms. It works well with both children and adults, as it is a result of the combined years of direct experience of working with child survivors of war and disaster.

The methodology was developed in 1998 by professionals from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, and the Center for Crisis Psychology in Bergen, Norway, and has been used after earthquakes in Iran, India, Chile, and China, the tsunami in South East Asia in 2000, as well as war conflicts in Africa, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine. The manual “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” has been translated and adapted by experts from the Ukrainian Institute of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Lviv, Ukraine). Since 2015, it has been successfully used to teach trainers and to conduct therapy courses in Ukraine within the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, implemented by “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation with the support of our American and Canadian partners, charitable organizations HOPE worldwide (USA) and HOPE worldwide Canada.

“Since March 2022, our team has conducted therapy sessions for almost 300 groups of children and adults throughout Ukraine,” – says the Project’s chief psychologist Iryna Sukhova. – In particular, therapy sessions were organized in Kyiv, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Pereyaslav, Nemishaeve, Lviv, Drohobych, Novoyavorivsk, Truskavets, Boryslav, Skhidnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Rivne, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Pylypets, Volovets, Uzhgorod, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Lutsk, Mykolaiv, Chornomorsk, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Nikopol, Cherkassy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Bucha, Irpin etc. Furthermore, 220 children who were having rest in camps for the IDPs in Zakarpattia, Prykarpattia and Kamianets-Podilskyi were able to learn effective healing techniques and practice self-help skills to overcome the war trauma. Every day we see the therapy results with our own and receive many grateful feedbacks from parents. The effectiveness of the therapy is impressive – children become less anxious, they sleep better, their nightmares, obsessive thoughts and panic attacks lose intensity or disappear, and they more often start to feel safe”.

This innovative methodology promotes the development of special skills in children and adults for reducing the psychological after-effects of trauma through self-help, relaxation and healing techniques in the face of intense war-related stress. In addition, it is designed to reduce anxiety and prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other complications in the future.

“Our organization has been working in Ukraine since 2015,” – says Volodymyr Yermakov, President of the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation. – Before the full-scale invasion of russia, our team was working mainly with internally displaced people from the east of Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, the geography of our activities expanded significantly. We are very grateful to our donors and partners who support the people of Ukraine in such a difficult time. We are constantly developing our common projects for the benefit of Ukrainians. The work of our team is very important now and will be relevant for a long time to come. The experience of war is a very traumatic experience, and Ukraine needs healthy children and healthy parents to rebuild. That is why it is difficult to overestimate the importance of trauma healing techniques. The goal of our activity is to improve the socio-emotional and psychological well-being of Ukrainian children and adults with war trauma, reduce the level of anxiety, and increase their opportunities for a fulfilling life in the future.”

The team of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project of the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation intends to continue its work as long as there are people who need psychological help. With extensive experience in dealing with war trauma, the Project team is ready to share experience and expertise, in particular, to contribute to the creation of the National Program of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

The results of our team’s work over the past 6 months are presented in the report at the link: https://hopeww.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hhfu_report_24.08.2022_en.pdf

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCE INFORMATION
International Charity Project “Helping Hand for Ukraine” exists since 2015. The Project aims to improve the socio-emotional and psychological state and wellbeing of children with war trauma and their families who witnessed and suffered from the war against Ukraine. The Project trains the trainers to work with the “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” methodology; provides psychological assistance to children and their parents with war trauma, teaching them skills of psychological self-regulation and self-assistance and techniques of relaxation; fosters cooperation with state social services in order to ensure immediate attention from professionals to cases of mild and severe mental problems as well as constant aftercare and social support. More information about the Project is provided on the website of “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation.

Contact person for media: Olga Batiuk, mob. +38 050 359 7266 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp), olga.batiuk@gmail.com

Photo album on Facebook

In summer 2022, “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation supported several projects organizing recreation for children affected by the war. This was done in cooperation with the “Caramel” training project (Volovets, Zakarpattia region), “Ya da Vinci” psychological camp (Delyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region) and the “GALA CAMP” (Kamianets-Podilskyi , Khmelnytskyi region). The Foundation provided financial aid so that 24 children affected by the war received an opportunity to attend the summer camp.

Children had a lot of fun, they went on guided tours and enjoyed the nature of the Carpathian mountains. They were learning, developing their creative skills, interacting in a team, making friends, playing, and laughing.

The recreational program was complemented by the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program held by the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project psychologists for all participants of the camps. During therapy group sessions with psychologists, young Ukrainians shared their personal war stories and learned recovery techniques to cope with this difficult life experience.

In total, 220 children attended “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy course during summer camps. The team of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project expresses sincere gratitude to the leaders of all three camps for fruitful cooperation, excellent organization of children’s recreation and especially for their concern, love and care for children in this difficult wartime.

Feedback of some children and parents:

“In the morning, February 24, I woke up from the sound of explosions. My mother came to wake me up and we understood that the war had begun. The first 11 days we spent in the basement of our friends in the Kyiv region. It was difficult, sometimes we couldn’t even go outside to get food. Then my father told us that there were tanks on the streets and street fighting started, so we decided to move to the village in Zakarpattia region. I was very upset because I had never lived in the village before. But we had to stay there for three months. Then we returned to Kyiv. Unfortunately, none of my friends were there, but I was very happy because I finally was at home. After a while, I realized that I can’t get used to the constant sound of sirens, so I asked my mother to send me to a camp to get some rest from it. At the camp, during “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions, we were taught many useful techniques – how to control our emotions and thoughts, how to overcome nightmares and how to calm down in general. Most of all I liked the topic “Sleep hygiene” and breathing techniques. After these sessions, I became calmer and now I know what to do when I have bad emotions.” Olena (Kyiv)

“The war brought pain into my life, because it separated me from my friends and relatives. When the war started, I was asleep and did not even immediately understand what was happening. At first, we stayed with my family in Kharkiv, but after two weeks we moved to Kamianets- Podilskyi. After all this, I could not relax for a long time. At the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” sessions in the camp, I liked the “Screen” technique, as I learned to get some rest from reality, and I learned to be myself. I dream of returning to Kharkiv – my hometown. I’m sad without it, I can’t think of anything else. And I also want the war to end, I want peace to come.” Kyrylo (Kharkiv)

“With the beginning of the war, I lost the opportunity to communicate with my relatives. I felt depressed, it was difficult for me to realize that my former life would never be there again. During “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” sessions, we were working with obsessive thoughts, and learned to control our emotions. I liked the “Screen” technique, when we “turned off” and “rewinded” traumatic events. I want to walk around my hometown and spend time with my relatives for at least one day. If I were a wizard, I would end this war.” Lisa (Kharkiv)

“My deepest gratitude to everyone involved in the “Ya da Vinci” camp! My daughter attended “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy course! Thanks to these techniques, she regulated her sleeping, now she does not have nightmares! Thank you very much!” Mother Khrystyna (Mariupol).

“I am the mother of a teenager who attended the camp “Ya da Vinci” and went through “Children and War” program! I am grateful to all the organizers and specialists! My son became calmer, and started to share his thoughts. Before that he kept silent and carried everything inside. Thank you very much!” Mama Solomiya (Mariupol).

“Our deepest gratitude to the Foundation for taking care of our children and the opportunity to get rest in the “Caramel” camp in the Carpathians! Special thanks to the psychologists who worked in the camp with the children. In this difficult wartime, they were able to distract and relax children, and relieve their tension. I will always remember hiking in the mountains, spending the night in tents, and singing near the campfire, and also volleyball tournaments and an educational guided tour to Synevir lake. Once again, we thank “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” for a wonderful rest and recovery for our children – both physical and psychological!” Drogin family

Photo album on Facebook

“Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” summer therapy courses for children and parents have been completed in Chornomorsk, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi, and Lviv. The program included a lot of discussions about fears.
Fears in childhood are a usual thing. Some children are afraid of darkness, others are afraid of snakes or spiders. But this summer, almost all participants of the therapy sessions mentioned their fear of war, fear of explosions or loud sounds of the warning sirens. They were talking about the loss of their homes and close friends, the death of a pet or even a close person. And these topics were relevant not only for the children, but also for their parents.
In spite of the sadness, pain, and fear, every participant had a desire to free themselves from these heavy emotions and to transform anxiety into inner peace and self-confidence. So, step by step, in the atmosphere of warmth, positivity and trust, while developing new self-help techniques, everyone achieved good results and gained personal victories!

The trainers of the groups for children and parents: Nadiya Hurman and Tetyana Hurman (Odesa region, Chornomorsk), Roman Bilogryvyi and Nataliya Kozak (Khmelnytskyi), Olga Yurtsenyuk, Nataliya Tsymbalyuk and Nadiya Perius (Chernivtsi), Nataliya Mudryk and Olena Petrushkevych (Lviv). We are grateful for their wonderful work and the photos provided.

Photo album on Facebook

On August 22-26, 2022 two “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” online trainings were held within the frames of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project. 80 new specialists have been trained. Almost all the participants have pedagogical or psychological education, as well as experience in working with children. They are teachers, educators, psychologists, social workers and volunteers from Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Odessa, Kherson, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kropyvnytskyi, Kryvyi Rih, Rohatyn, Myropillya, Brovary and other cities and villages of Ukraine. Also there were some participants who temporary live abroad – in Germany, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, and Israel.

The trainings were conducted by the Project trainers and psychologists – Iryna Sukhova and Tetyana Oboyanska. Traditionally, the Project’s team has received a lot of grateful feedback. They hope that in the nearest future the new trainers will start using the acquired knowledge and skills to help children and their parents affected by the war against Ukraine to heal the war trauma.

Photo album on Facebook