UA Mental Help, Ukraine

In this episode of the Daphne-CHILD Grantee Spotlight Series, Anna Vashchuk from UA Mental Help discusses their project bringing psychological education to children and parents in the Bucha district of Ukraine, a community rebuilding after occupation while facing ongoing bombing, electricity cuts, and freezing temperatures.

With 76% of surveyed families having experienced traumatic events, the team learned they had to start not with the children but with the parents, offering practical self-care tools and the simple reassurance that what they feel is normal. For children, traditional lecture formats proved insufficient in a context of shelling alerts and blackouts, so the team developed an interactive quest built around real-life scenarios. When a family masterclass filled up within hours, it confirmed what the team had sensed: what families need most right now is time to gather and feel supported as a community. As Anna puts it: "Every day, they're living their childhood, and we won't have the chance to give them a different one."

This podcast is part of a series aiming to showcase the vital and innovative work of our grantees in the Daphne-CHILD programme as they combat violence against children across Europe.