This summer, from June to August, our experienced trainers have worked in the village of Nemishaieve (Bucha district, Kyiv region), at the children’s camp “Training Project Caramel”. They conducted intensive psychological sessions aimed at helping children whose lives have been affected by the war.
The camp became a safe and resourceful space for children who survived occupation, terrorist attacks, are waiting for their parents to return from the front, or have suffered irreparable losses. These ordinary Ukrainian children took part in a “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques.” therapy course.
The camp’s atmosphere was warm and nurturing, and the program — engaging and rich. The children didn’t just play, discuss problems, or draw; they followed a structured program with one main goal: to learn self-help techniques. When a camp is fun, provides emotional resources, and teaches essential life skills — that is truly priceless!
The depth of this work is best reflected in the words of the participants themselves. For example, during body-oriented regulation exercises, one girl vividly described her breakthrough: “It felt like I learned to wring fear out of myself, like water from a towel.” Her words inspired others to see their own bodies as powerful tools of resilience. And during a session on restoring the sense of control, when participants created their own “inner superheroes,” one boy named his father as his symbol of strength — which sparked a deep group discussion about inner power.
We believe that the gained knowledge and skills will become a reliable tool for children to independently overcome challenges. This summer was not only joyful but also deeply meaningful in building psychological resilience.
We sincerely thank our constant partner and good friend “Training Project Caramel” and its director Iryna Zavalna for their cooperation.
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.
