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The Academy of Care, together with NPC “Ukrenergo,” has launched a special initiative for Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 (World Children’s Mental Health Week 2026).

When it is dark and cold outside and power outage schedules become part of everyday life, it is especially important for children to feel that their “place” within the family remains a territory of warmth and safety. The goal of this year’s initiative is to provide families with a unique set of practical tools for “generating” warmth at home — tools that help preserve inner energy and emotional connection even during blackouts.

Format: a three-way meeting (child – adult – psychologist) via the MaPanda app. In real time, the psychologist operates the animated character Cat Pascal, creating the magic of live interaction. As a character with his own story of overcoming challenges, Cat Pascal becomes a “safe Other” for the child. Through this playful bridge, young psychologists help families tune their “mental tuning fork” of trust and safety. This is not just a session — it is the shared creation of a family story about how, even in a changing world, there is a place that truly belongs to them, where safety remains a constant.

The project will reach 700 families with children aged 6 to 9. Each family will receive a unique set of tools for “generating” warmth at home.

By prior arrangement, journalists may speak with the psychologist and founder of the “Academy of Care,” Anastasiia Svoboda, as well as, if possible, with participating families (parents and children) who have joined the initiative.

For reference: The initiative is implemented by the NGO “Opportunities. Motivation. Media.” (Academy of Care) in cooperation with MaPanda and in partnership with the Advisor–Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation, Daria Herasymchuk, within the project “Gender-sensitive approaches to mental health and psychosocial support in Ukraine,” implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with funding from the Government of Germany.

• blackout
• children
• psychological support

Today, many educational centers are forced to reduce their working hours or even close entirely due to power outages. Schools and lyceums have limited backup power capacity, which means the stable operation of these spaces depends on their energy independence.

savED aims to make its centers self-sufficient. In some communities, partners have already helped provide lighting and energy solutions. However, in 60 out of 128 centers, the need remains critical. The goal is to enable these spaces to operate independently of the main power grid so that children do not lose access to education.

To address this, savED has developed four flexible solutions tailored to the specific needs and urgency of each community. The organization has launched a fundraising campaign to provide charging stations and LED equipment for educational centers.

By prior arrangement, journalists are welcome to cover the work of educational centers operating during power outages.

For reference: Educational centers are spaces where children can continue learning and meeting offline, even if their school has been destroyed, damaged, or cannot operate fully due to proximity to the front line. These spaces are equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable and safe stay throughout the day, including furniture, modern equipment, and learning materials for both students and teachers. In many communities, these centers became a form of “rapid educational response”: in some settlements, they were established within the first months after de-occupation and helped restore educational activities in affected areas.

• blackout
• children

A heartwarming video circulating online captures Father Andriy, a priest at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the main cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kyiv, playing soccer with children at a daytime camp set up on the church grounds.

With schools shut down through the extended winter break amid relentless power cuts and unheated classrooms, the church camp has become a crucial haven for kids aged 6 to 14 over the past two weeks. Organizers are running master classes and music-therapy sessions, while personnel from the State Emergency Service, police officers, and psychologists drop by to chat with the children and lend whatever support they can.

Adjacent to the camp, the church operates a “Space of Light and Warmth” equipped with a power generator where people can charge their electronic devices. The facility also serves as a round-the-clock shelter.

Journalists interested in speaking with Father Andriy or reporting on the camp’s activities are welcome to reach out.

• blackout
• children
• religion
• Kyiv

Amid relentless russian strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure and a biting winter chill, staff at Kyiv Zoo are going to extraordinary lengths to keep the animals from freezing — with special care reserved for Tony, the country’s only gorilla and one of Europe’s oldest.

Five times a day, keepers load wood into slow-burning Bullerjan stoves to maintain a steady 20°C (68°F) in the 51-year-old western lowland gorilla’s enclosure. The massive primate, who cannot tolerate the cold like his African origins demand, requires constant warmth to stay comfortable.

Generators also hum in the background, supplying backup power and heat across the facility. A wide range of other species depend on these efforts too: hippos, flamingos, capybaras, parrots, aquarium inhabitants, and numerous others from warmer climates all need protection from the outages and subzero temperatures.

Journalists can arrange visits in advance to observe and report on the zookeepers’ work firsthand.

For reference: Founded in 1907, Kyiv Zoo has served as a vital sanctuary since russia’s full-scale invasion began, taking in hundreds of animals evacuated from war zones across the country. The rescued creatures have received expert veterinary treatment and rehabilitation under the zoo’s care.

• animals
• blackout
• Kyiv

Veterans from the 3rd Assault Corps traveled to areas experiencing power outages to support the people during this difficult time. From a special food truck, they served residents hot broth, tea, and uzvar, a traditional drink. The veterans also provided a mobile phone and power bank charging station so people could stay in contact with their loved ones.

According to the ex-soldiers, these outreach trips allow them to continue being useful to society and support those enduring severe hardship.

Journalists have the opportunity to obtain video materials from the trip and cover the food truck’s next deployment, as well as speak with the veterans.

• blackout
• Kyiv

Against the backdrop of Ukraine’s declared energy emergency and widespread, prolonged blackouts that have left thousands of Kyiv residents without heat during the bitter cold, World Central Kitchen has stepped in with emergency food aid for the capital.

The WCK team has set up hot meal stations throughout the city, serving hearty bowls of bograch and borscht. The stations are positioned in various neighborhoods to ensure the help reaches as many people as possible. At present, 50 such bograch-and-borscht stations are up and running.

Meals are also being distributed from WCK’s Invincibility Train Cars.

Journalists are welcome to cover the initiative and observe the stations in operation. The World Central Kitchen team is available for interviews and can help arrange filming at the sites.

• blackout
• food
• Kyiv

Mobile resilience centers, known as Mitzvah Tanks, are operating in the Ukrainian capital. People can warm up, drink hot tea, and charge their phones there. As explained by Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi, Moshe Reuven Azman, the word Mitzvah translates from Hebrew as “Commandment”, which is why the mobile centers are called Mitzvah Tanks.

“Our volunteers are constantly on duty with the Mitzvah Tanks so they can immediately go to help — whether to the site of a russian shelling (God forbid) to warm those who have lost their homes, or to an address where there has been no electricity or heat for over four days straight. They even assist when many liters of water need to be carried up 18 flights of stairs for elderly people who cannot do it themselves or ask someone else,” noted the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.

Journalists have the opportunity to cover the work of the Mitzvah Tank Mobile Resilience Centers in Kyiv and speak with the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine by prior arrangement.

• blackout
• Kyiv

Prolonged power outages in the Ukrainian capital are putting the delicate collection of tropical and subtropical plants at the Hryshko National Botanical Garden under serious strain.

Winter marks the peak flowering season for many of these species, which require a steady minimum temperature of 20°C (68°F) to survive. With electricity unreliable, staff are turning to diesel generators to keep the greenhouses warm and the valuable plants alive.

The garden – home to roughly 4,000 tropical and subtropical specimens – is also supported by philanthropists through the longstanding “Heat for Greenhouses” initiative, which helps cover fuel and other emergency costs.

Journalists may visit and document the garden’s operations by prior arrangement.

• blackout
• Kyiv

Amidst the energy state of emergency declared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and persistent blackouts that have left thousands of Kyiv residents without heating in freezing weather, World Central Kitchen is deploying urgent support for the capital’s inhabitants.

WCK is opening Bograch stations in Kyiv — locations where people can receive a warm bowl of bograch, a hearty traditional dish especially important on cold days. These stations will operate in various city districts to ensure maximum accessibility.

Daily, WCK plans to provide thousands of hot meals and is ready to expand the program if the power supply situation does not improve. Meals are also being served in the Invincibility Carriages, which are currently operating in Fastiv, Brovary, Boryspil, and Vasylkiv.

Journalists are invited to cover this initiative and observe the Bograch stations in operation. The WCK team is available to answer questions and can help organize filming on location.

• blackout
• food
• Kyiv

The first seven ‘invincibility train cars’ have begun operating in the Kyiv region, where rolling blackouts continue to disrupt daily life. Three are stationed in Brovary, two in Boryspil, and two in Vasylkiv. Each car can comfortably accommodate up to about 40 people at a time.

Inside these ‘invincibility’ carriages, residents can warm up, charge their devices, connect to the internet via Starlink, and enjoy a cup of tea.

The cars are also equipped with child-friendly amenities, including cartoons, games, coloring books, reading materials, and board games. A separate pet-friendly area offers treats for animals accompanying their owners.

For referenceThe initiative is a joint effort between Ukrzaliznytsia and Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, with support from the Kyiv Regional State Administration to expand these mobile heating and charging hubs across the region.

• blackout
• Kyiv