Themes by tag: children

The “TOY THERAPY ROOM” stands as a nationwide charitable initiative established by a collective within the NGO The National Genofund amidst the full-scale invasion. Its primary aim is to mitigate the trauma endured by both children and adults impacted by russia’s invasion, achieved through the application of puppetry and play therapy techniques.

The TOY THERAPY ROOM offers a carefully designed environment where children and adults can navigate their emotions in a healthy and supportive manner. Within these spaces, carefully curated by dedicated hosts, individuals can explore their feelings, replenish their inner strength, and nurture a sense of confidence in their abilities and desires. Central to the experience are the hundreds of soft toys that inhabit each room. These toys serve not only as companions but also as conduits for understanding and healing. Participants are encouraged to select a toy at the outset of their session, which then becomes a steadfast ally throughout their journey. Beyond the confines of the therapy room, this toy becomes a transitional object through which psychologists gain insights into the person’s condition and provide assistance.

Today, the TOY THERAPY ROOM initiative operates in more than 70 locations across Ukraine, reaching nearly every region of the country, and organizing off-site therapy spaces at summer camps. Its team of psychologists also uses puppetry and play therapy techniques to support the mental health recovery of military personnel.

In 2024 alone, more than 20,000 people visited the therapy rooms, including 15,168 children and 1,400 servicemembers. The project held 5,449 therapy sessions, including mobile outreach events, and distributed over 14,000 therapeutic toys.

Spearheaded by Victoriia Nazarevich, a seasoned psychologist and the driving force behind the Nazarevich-Art psychology training portal, the project maintains a team of dedicated professionals comprising psychologists and art therapists.

For journalists seeking insight into this transformative endeavor, opportunities for interviews with project representatives and participants are available in Kyiv and other cities by prior arrangement. Additionally, online communication channels offer convenient access for those unable to attend in person. 

A reminder: June 1 marks the observance of International Children’s Day worldwide.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support
• Kyiv

The Voices of Children charitable foundation invites the public to witness the symbolic start of construction for the Childhood Center, a pioneering space in Ukraine dedicated to the psychological recovery of children and parents traumatized by war.

On June 5, the construction of the Childhood Center will be symbolically launched in the Kyiv oblast. The event will showcase what the center looks like from the children’s perspective and how it will look in a year. A collective message to future generations of children will be sealed in a “time capsule”.

Afterwards, a panel discussion titled “How to Save Childhood in War?” will take place. The discussion will feature the foundation’s co-founders, Olena Rozvadovska and Azad Safarov; Kateryna Rashevska, a human rights activist and expert from the Regional Center for Human Rights; Oleksandra Romantsova, a human rights activist and the executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties; Iryna Tuliakova, head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Upbringing and Child Care; Nataliia Masiak, a leading psychologist and psychiatrist; and children and families who are living through the difficult experience of war and undergoing recovery with the foundation.

Registration is required for the event.

• children
• Kyiv

Since the beginning of this school year, schoolchildren in the village of Bohdanivka, Kyiv oblast, have been able to study in a modular Temporary Educational Space (TES).  The space is accessible, with a generator for uninterrupted power supply, comfortable furniture, modern tablets and multimedia panels. The TES has six classrooms and now serves 250 schoolchildren who previously had to travel to a neighboring village.

Bohdanivka was occupied in 2022. russian soldiers set up camp in the local school and burned it down when they withdrew. They also blew up the kindergarten, where they had stored ammunition, leaving the village without any educational facilities.

By prior arrangement, journalists can cover the work of the modular temporary educational space in Bohdanivka.

Background: This project is being implemented by IREX in partnership with the SavED Charitable Foundation and the GoGlobal NGO. They work in close cooperation with local communities who have lost their educational institutions due to russian aggression.

• children
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

The Children of Heroes Charity Fund, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Running Club and local partners, is organizing the Run for Children of Heroes race on June 1 to commemorate World Children’s Day. The event will take place in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Germany, France, Sweden, and Ukraine.

The goal of this race is to raise funds for Ukrainian children who have lost one or both parents due to the war. 100% of the registration fees will go directly to support the Fund’s assistance programs.

Participants can choose between two distances – 5 km or 10 km. 

For reference: The Children of Heroes Charity Fund provides long-term support to more than 12,500 children who have lost one or both parents in the war. Its assistance programs include psychological rehabilitation, medical care, humanitarian aid, and educational support. 

On February 23, 2025, the Fund hosted Heroes Run 2025. The running event united over 400 participants across nine cities worldwide and raised more than €17,000 to support Ukrainian children. All proceeds were donated directly to the Fund.

• children

The Grandma’s Hares project was launched four years ago by the Nasha Peremoga (Our Victory) Charitable Fund, which supports the elderly. This initiative aims to foster intergenerational communication by having participants, aged 60 and older, create hares from socks following a specific pattern. These soft toys are given to children in stressful situations, those who have suffered violence, or witnessed traumatic events. Police officers use these comforting toys to establish contact with or calm the children. For instance, the first doll hare was given to a young child who got lost and was found by the juvenile police.

Since the outbreak of the full-blown war, these toy hares have aided police officers in working with children affected by the warfare, including those who have lost parents or endured occupation. They are also distributed to children in shelters and hospitals. Additionally, hares in reflective vests have been used to teach preschoolers about traffic rules. During the winter blackouts, they provided comfort at the Points of Invincibility.

In May 2023, the elderly women crafted a special batch of brightly colored hares at the request of the White Angel unit of the National Police of Ukraine, which is responsible for evacuating children from the war zone.

Since the project’s inception, volunteer craftswomen from Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions have produced over 1,300 handmade doll hares, which have been distributed to the police. These toys are now used by Ukraine’s Juvenile Police across 20 regions and by the White Angel evacuation teams.

Journalists can arrange interviews with the project participants and organizers in Kyiv or other cities, and online communication is also available.

For reference: The practice of distributing Trauma Teddies to police is common in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and Germany.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On June 1, International Children’s Day, Lviv will host a charity auction featuring a collection of rare and high-profile items. Proceeds from the event will go toward the development and support of the children’s rehabilitation unit at St. Nicholas Hospital, part of the UNBROKEN ecosystem. The facility provides care for children recovering from serious illnesses, surgeries, trauma, burns, and war-related injuries.

Among the exclusive auction items:

• A T-shirt signed by soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo (starting price: USD 1,500);
  
• Original rhinestones from Michael Jackson’s iconic gloves (starting price: USD 1,200);
  
• A soccer ball autographed by players of the Ukrainian national team (starting price: USD 1,000);
  
• A facsimile of the Tomos of Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, signed by Metropolitan Epiphanius (starting price: USD 1,000);
  
• A soccer ball signed by players of FC Karpaty (starting price: USD 500). 

Media representatives must obtain accreditation to attend the event.

• children
• Lviv

On May 25, as Ukraine’s capital celebrates the Day of Kyiv, an open cultural and educational gathering for children and parents “Nytochka” (The Little Thread) will take place. The event will feature a conversation on culture in times of war, along with a music and dance workshop led by the folk band ShchukaRyba and the Voices of Children charity foundation.

Over the past six months, the Voices of Children Foundation and ShchukaRyba have met with teenagers in frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Chernihiv, and Dnipro. A planned session in Sumy was canceled due to a russian ballistic missile strike just hours before it was set to begin. The Kyiv event will mark the final stop in the series.

Singer and poet Maryna Krut, the Ivan Honchar Museum, the Patron Pets Center, and other partners will also take part in the “Nytochka” gathering.

During the event, the Voices of Children team will share information about psychological and psychosocial support available to families and children affected by the war, and help those in need access professional assistance.

For reference: The series of cultural and educational meetings with ShchukaRyba is part of the art laboratories launched by the Voices of Children Foundation. The project helps teenagers process the trauma of war through creativity, rebuilding their confidence and sense of trust in the world.

A reminder: International Children’s Day is observed globally on June 1.

• children
• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

Artist Yaroslava Yatsuba and schoolboy Mark Ivanchenko began collaborating at the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At just 13 years old, Mark created his first animation based on one of Yaroslava’s drawings. He brought to life a piece titled What a Moonlit Night, depicting Ukrainians destroying enemy tanks under the glow of the moon. Since then, the artist and the young animator have continued working together.

Yaroslava paints nearly every day, drawing inspiration for her artwork from current news events. Mark transforms her illustrations into animations.

Yaroslava later raffles off these “living pictures” to raise donations and showcases them at international exhibitions. The pair now focuses solely on producing animations for Ukrainian military training camps. Mark’s most recent works have supported fundraising campaigns for the Come Back Alive and Azov charities.

The animation team is available for online or in-person interviews by prior arrangement.

• children
• culture
• Poltava

On May 21, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing: “Youth voice in the care system: How the state and partners respond to children’s real needs”

Participants:
– Mariia Sakuta, Director General of the Directorate for Overcoming Difficult Life Circumstances at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine;
– Taras Odnenko, Member of the DIiMO Office, Graduate of an Institutional Care Facility;
– Kyrylo Nevdokha, Head of the DIiMO Office, Ambassador of Mentorship;
– Anastasiia Stepula, Advocacy Consultant at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network NGO.

Key topics:
– The needs and demands of children and youth in institutional care facilities and alternative care formats;
– The role of youth voices in reforms and support from the state and the DIiMO Office;
– DIiMO Office’s plans for 2025–2026: how to improve the lives of children and youth in the care system;
– Partnerships for change: the role of civil society organizations in protecting rights and development of children and youth.

• children
• Kyiv

Nastia spent her childhood in three different orphanages. Each time, she had to adapt to a new environment, and say goodbye all over again. Today, she lives independently, works, and is preparing to join the Armed Forces ranks. She believes in herself, and in her future. Watch Nastia’s story.

Artem endured the loss of his family, years in institutional care, and forced displacement caused by the war. During the hardest moments, mentors stood by him, offering support and opening new opportunities. Now, he volunteers with 3D – Let’s Help Children, hoping to be that source of support for others. Watch Artem’s story.

Each year, thousands of children in Ukraine leave state institutions without basic life skills or support. The 3D project and DIyMO initiative call on society to ensure that every child or young adult has a dependable adult by their side.

A video project by the 3D – Let’s Help Children NGO, in partnership with the DIyMO Children and Youth Office, highlights how mentorship can redirect the life path of a young person without family support.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with Nastia, Artem, and their mentors in Lviv or online.

• children
• Lviv