Author:
Yuliia Didenko
November is traditionally a very active month for the teams of the Voices of Children Foundation. Psychologists, case managers, and psychosocial facilitators conducted group sessions, organized celebrations for World Children’s Day (November 20), had outreach visits to communities, and supported parents. Children who experience the consequences of war on a daily basis found a space in our regional centers where they could feel safe, express their emotions, and receive support from adults who understand them.
This month, we provided assistance to 1,040 children and 301 adults. Our psychologists conducted 858 individual psychological sessions, 191 psychological group sessions, and 381 psychosocial group sessions for children and adults. We also supported 515 beneficiaries through case management services. At the same time, we expanded psychological support for children and adults across Ukraine through the onboarding of specialists within the FCDO project.
Zaporizhzhia: Psychological Support for Children and Parents
Throughout the month, the team conducted educational sessions for children, organized several World Children’s Day celebrations, and continued support meetings at the library. The center also took part in partner events and worked at various locations across the city.
Trust builds gradually, but when children feel safe, they are ready to open up. One girl kept her distance for several months. She attended sessions at the Androsov Library, sat separately, and did not approach other children. The psychologist did not insist; she gave the girl time and space. Then, after another session, the girl suddenly came up, hugged the specialist, and said that she finally felt good.
Other children noted after psychoeducational meetings that sessions with psychologists turned out to be interesting, not boring or scary, as they had imagined.
Other children noted after psychoeducational meetings that sessions with psychologists turned out to be interesting, not boring or scary, as they had imagined.
Parents in Zaporizhzhia attended groups under the Parenting Without Stress program. Group sessions help adults notice their own internal limitations, work with tension, and allow themselves more freedom. One family even sent us a poem they had written and edited a video with footage from the center. For the specialists, this recognition became a deeply touching confirmation of the value of their work.
Yesterday, you seemed to open a chest full of prohibitions. In the evening, the unpacking process began, and now I’m already starting to see its effect,
Kryvyi Rih: Mobile Psychological Teams and Community-Based Support
Mobile teams in Kryvyi Rih carried out 14 outreach visits: six to the Hrechanopodivka community, several to Novopillia, four to Hleiuvatka, and one to Karpivka. The team systematically covered several communities, ensuring access to activities and support for children and families.
For World Children’s Day, psychologists organized five outreach events. Children painted T-shirts, took part in active games, and experienced joy and freedom of self-expression despite the reality of war. During the School of Good Magic activity, children worked with “magic potions,” combining play and learning.
As part of the 16 Days Against Violence campaign, the team carried out four outreach visits with thematic activities that drew attention to violence and the importance of safety for children and adults. In Kryvyi Rih, a two-day Reach Now training program was also held. Participants received practical tools to support children experiencing stress and trauma and learned more about child development during wartime.
As part of the 16 Days Against Violence campaign, the team carried out four outreach visits with thematic activities that drew attention to violence and the importance of safety for children and adults. In Kryvyi Rih, a two-day Reach Now training program was also held. Participants received practical tools to support children experiencing stress and trauma and learned more about child development during wartime.
Kharkiv: Psychological Support in a Frontline City and Metro Schools
Kharkiv is a frontline city where children spend much of their time in shelters. The center’s team organized three World Children’s Day celebrations in a metro school and an underground school. In addition, regular weekly activities were held at the metro school, including plasticine modeling, paper crafts, game spaces, film clubs, candle-making workshops, and woodburning workshops. Regularity creates a sense of stability for children, which they often lose because of the war.
I want to express my deep gratitude to the Foundation and all the team members there who give care, especially our case manager Veronika and psychologist Maryna, who help my family so much. They are sensitive, gentle, attentive women, yet they have boundless strength, kindness, and humanity. Thank you for the help that is critically needed for our family. Today, there are few people who, despite their own pain, are able to help and give care and love to others,
Our psychologists conducted a Reach Now training for teachers in the village of Kolomak. Parents attended the Meditation Studio twice a week, where they learned techniques of self-calming and emotional self-regulation. Once a week, the team traveled to Zlatopil to support children and adults who cannot regularly attend the center.
In Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporizhzhia, the Voices of Children Foundation is implementing the project “Improving Child Protection and MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) Mechanisms for Children, Adolescents, and Families Affected by the Conflict in Ukraine” in partnership with the international NGO Plan International, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).
Mykolaiv: Psychological Groups, Creative Activities, and Family Support
In Mykolaiv, psychological groups for children were held, along with sessions and groups for adolescents, where they discussed favorite stories and created their own. In the play club, children learned cooperation and trust through role-playing games. Creative activities for children aged 6–9 fostered imagination and emotional self-expression.
Mobile and partner activities included storytelling sessions at the Library named after Kropyvnytskyi, family film clubs where families watched and discussed movies together, and creative sessions in kindergartens in Koravelove, Mishkovo-Pohorilovo, and Sviatomykolaivka.
For adults, the Kherson HUB hosted From Stress to Calm sessions aimed at reducing anxiety and restoring internal resources, as well as a group psychological session focused on improving family interaction. A Saturday parent group in a Q&A format was also launched.
For adults, the Kherson HUB hosted From Stress to Calm sessions aimed at reducing anxiety and restoring internal resources, as well as a group psychological session focused on improving family interaction. A Saturday parent group in a Q&A format was also launched.
Children took part in an interactive workshop creating toys inspired by Disney cartoons. A special highlight was the opening of the children’s art exhibition Portrait of Mom, dedicated to World Children’s Day. The team also held partner events initiated by the NGO Girls in cooperation with public authorities.
Dnipro: Psychosocial Activities and Building Emotional Resilience in Children
At the Dnipro center, psychologists worked with three groups of 5th–8th graders at a local school. Parents and teachers note that children respond positively to the meetings. They speak more openly about their emotions, learn to understand one another, and find support within the group. The class teacher added that after participating in the program, children became more open and calmer, reacted more easily to challenges, and the classroom atmosphere stabilized.
The team held over 20 creative sessions, mobile team visits, and psychosocial activities. Children played games, danced, drew, made crafts, watched and discussed cartoons. They also enjoyed movement exercises and took part in team games aimed at developing communication skills and self-confidence.
The mobile team made seven visits to the Mohyliv and Bozhedarivka communities, where children created crafts, did exercises for emotional stabilization, and played board games.
The team held over 20 creative sessions, mobile team visits, and psychosocial activities. Children played games, danced, drew, made crafts, watched and discussed cartoons. They also enjoyed movement exercises and took part in team games aimed at developing communication skills and self-confidence.
The mobile team made seven visits to the Mohyliv and Bozhedarivka communities, where children created crafts, did exercises for emotional stabilization, and played board games.
Creative sessions emphasized joint creativity: children worked with natural materials, developed aesthetic perception, created unique clay pieces, and processed emotions through creativity. Intuitive drawing focused on emotional self-regulation and reducing tension.
During a Pajama Party, psychologists organized active games, face painting, a cartoon screening, and informal interaction. The team also held several creative intensives (games, dances, drawing sessions, and cartoon screenings), a fairy-tale quest, and a one-day intensive for a group from Nikopol.
Children made fused-bead keychains, participated in tea gatherings, and played games. During creative sessions, they made bags, Christmas decorations, and a New Year planner.
During a Pajama Party, psychologists organized active games, face painting, a cartoon screening, and informal interaction. The team also held several creative intensives (games, dances, drawing sessions, and cartoon screenings), a fairy-tale quest, and a one-day intensive for a group from Nikopol.
Children made fused-bead keychains, participated in tea gatherings, and played games. During creative sessions, they made bags, Christmas decorations, and a New Year planner.
The work of the centers in Mykolaiv and Dnipro is carried out within the EMPOWER project (K-UKR-2025-4026), supported by the German humanitarian organization Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe.
Kyiv: Support for Children and Adolescents and Creative Spaces
In Kyiv, psychological groups for children continued both at the regional center and at the Bobrynets High School in the Brovary district, as well as in the village of Myrcha, where children learn about emotions and how to express them safely through play. The mobile team also visited Hostomel in the Kyiv Region.
Children and adolescents participated in creative sessions, a film club, acting workshops, storytelling, and free-play spaces. These formats allow participants to express themselves through creativity, process emotions in a safe environment, and develop imagination, communication skills, and self-confidence. Children especially enjoyed the acting workshops, where they learned to perform, improvise, and interact through theatrical exercises.
Children and adolescents participated in creative sessions, a film club, acting workshops, storytelling, and free-play spaces. These formats allow participants to express themselves through creativity, process emotions in a safe environment, and develop imagination, communication skills, and self-confidence. Children especially enjoyed the acting workshops, where they learned to perform, improvise, and interact through theatrical exercises.
For adults, Motherhood with the Letter A groups were traditionally held, focusing on the topics of motherhood, self-awareness, and internal resources, along with psychoeducational sessions for parents. The participants learned about child development, the impact of stress, and ways to support their children.
Twenty children and adolescents attended a concert by Artem Pivovarov, while Junior Eurovision national selection winner Sofiia Nersesian and singer Svitlana Tarabarova held a motanka doll-making workshop at the center. World Children’s Day was celebrated at Ukrposhta together with Brobaks.
Twenty children and adolescents attended a concert by Artem Pivovarov, while Junior Eurovision national selection winner Sofiia Nersesian and singer Svitlana Tarabarova held a motanka doll-making workshop at the center. World Children’s Day was celebrated at Ukrposhta together with Brobaks.
The Kyiv center’s activities are carried out with the support of the German humanitarian organization Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe within the project K-UKR-2025-4015.
Truskavets: Building Psychological Resilience Through Creativity
In Truskavets, the Foundation completed several support groups for children. Psychologists helped them develop emotional resilience, learn to talk about their feelings, and support one another within the group. Children were introduced to basic emotions and ways to express and regulate them through accessible, playful formats.
The team held sessions for adolescents in the village of Letnia and began cooperation with the Koziavkin Rehabilitation Clinic, organizing sessions for children and parents. Adult groups included Parenting Without Stress and Internal Resources Through Art Therapy. Parents thanked the team for the “wonderful, diverse activities for children, the warm atmosphere, and support.”
Real benefit for our children! They rest and develop at the center. It truly helps!
One of the key events was a session where children created a symbolic place together with psychologists—a space “where smiles, warm wishes, and small miracles of children’s imagination live.” Psychologists also held lecture-style sessions introducing children to Ukrainian and world art, including the works of Mariia Prymachenko and Kazymyr Malevych, as well as a creative-play session, Fantasy City Built with LEGO, where participants built imaginary cities, learned to negotiate, cooperate, and visualize their dreams.
In Truskavets, the Voices of Children Foundation implements the project ER-Voices-Tru-UKR-2024-II in partnership with the Swiss organization for children’s aid Terre des Hommes.
Lviv: Psychoeducation for Children and Working with Emotions Through Art
In Lviv, two World Children’s Day events and a psychoeducational session for children with a Foundation psychologist were organized. During the session, children learned how to cope with stress, manage emotions, and support their emotional well-being.
Our specialists also staged Clowns Without Borders, an interactive performance where children relaxed, rested, and laughed a lot. During Glowing Paws at Night, children created light-based art objects and explored the theme of their own inner light.
Our specialists also staged Clowns Without Borders, an interactive performance where children relaxed, rested, and laughed a lot. During Glowing Paws at Night, children created light-based art objects and explored the theme of their own inner light.
The activities of the Lviv center are made possible thanks to the financial support of the Ukrainian company Kormotech.
Sumy: Psychological Support in a Border Region
In November, new specialists joined the team: a psychosocial facilitator and a case manager. Representatives of The Washington Post visited the center, bringing international attention to the situation of children in the region. We also saw how powerful it is when an adult recognizes and affirms a child’s potential.
When a journalist asked a girl what she wanted for St. Nicholas Day, she listed many art supplies—brushes, paints, sketchbooks, pencils. When he asked whether that was too much for one gift, she confidently replied, “No, it’s not too much. I need all of it because my teacher said I am a creative person.”
When a journalist asked a girl what she wanted for St. Nicholas Day, she listed many art supplies—brushes, paints, sketchbooks, pencils. When he asked whether that was too much for one gift, she confidently replied, “No, it’s not too much. I need all of it because my teacher said I am a creative person.”
Our specialists formed a new psychological group in Trostianets and continued two groups at the Svitliachok kindergarten. Mobile teams carried out eight visits: one to Bezdryk community, three to Trostianets, and four to Nyzhnia Syrovatka.
The Sumy center operates thanks to support from people who donated to a public fundraising campaign.
The Sumy center operates thanks to support from people who donated to a public fundraising campaign.
Children continue to dream, create, and open their hearts to adults who are ready to listen. The Voices of Children Foundation’s centers remain spaces where children can feel warmth and support. We thank our partners and all friends of the Foundation for working together.
Currently, ten regional Voices of Children centers and mobile teams operate across Ukraine. In each center, children can find a supportive community, receive psychological support, and take part in creative activities and games.
An online psychological support helpline is also available: 0 800 210 106 (free of charge within Ukraine, calls accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
Currently, ten regional Voices of Children centers and mobile teams operate across Ukraine. In each center, children can find a supportive community, receive psychological support, and take part in creative activities and games.
An online psychological support helpline is also available: 0 800 210 106 (free of charge within Ukraine, calls accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
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