Zhovtneve is a small village in the Khmelnytskyi region. At the local rural school, a new kind of schedule suddenly appeared: alongside regular lessons, sessions with psychologists were added. At first, the children were surprised. Then, they began to look forward to these meetings with excitement. This is how the trainers arrived in the community to conduct the “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions. As soon as the participants entered the classroom, deep and meaningful work began — touching on the most painful topics.
Orest, 6 years old, listened attentively. He smiled a lot, made jokes… until the final session. That was when he spoke for the first time about what he wanted most for his birthday — to see his father, who had been away for a long time because of the war. Drawings, modelling with clay, and breathing exercises became his tools for coping with emotions that were too difficult to express in words.
Tania, 9 years old, at first simply participated in the sessions. But during one meeting, she unexpectedly shared her distress — a quarrel with her mother. Through the “screen” technique, she was able to rethink the situation and release the anxious feelings it caused.
The children took part in the activities seriously, were happy with their own results, and supported each other. The adults were also happy — the project’s trainers, as well as the parents and teachers who observed the changes in the children.
This project was created by the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” charity foundation with the support of a grant from the Children’s Resilience Fund: Providing Capacity Building and Funding to Ukrainian Civil Society Organisations in Ukraine. The program is implemented by Crown Agents in Ukraine and Integrity Action. The content of the news does not necessarily reflect the views of Integrity Action, or Crown Agents in Ukraine.
