Voices of Children

💬 "If you see someone suffering from bullying, don't stay silent—offer your help," says Nataliia Shpyh, a gender and inclusion expert, during a meeting with teenagers.     Over the course of two days, she visited two lyceums together with Chernivtsi mobile team from the “Voices of Children” Foundation: Lyceum No. 19, named after Olha Kobylianska, and Lyceum No. 12, named Yuvileinyi. Together with the Foundation's expert, ninth-grade students discussed gender equality, inclusion, and bullying. Since the beginning of the war, many families have been forced to relocate. This is a significant stress for children, as they leave behind their familiar environment and friends.      💬 "The children shared stories about their first days in a new school and discussed their fears, insecurities, and the possibility of isolating themselves. One girl spoke about overcoming the anxiety of being the 'new kid' and making friends. She credited constant parental support, self-work, friendly connections, and finding activities she enjoyed," Nataliia adds.      Read the full article to find out how the events went and how teenagers perceived them 👉 bit.ly/41IxmbD     And check out the channel with team contacts and activity announcements in Chernivtsi here 👉 t.me/GolosyDitejChernivtsi  _____________________    This initiative is part of the project "Integrated Response to Ensure Inclusive Education and Protection for Children and the Most Vulnerable Population Victims of the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine." Support for beneficiaries is funded by Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo and implemented by the “Voices of Children” Foundation, with support from the “Tree of Life–Ukraine” Foundation.

Thirteen-year-old Artur from Zaporizhzhia Has Learned Not to Be Afraid ⭐ Artur lived with his mother Natalia on the left bank of the Dnipro River—an area heavily shelled. The first time a blast shattered their windows, Artur had a panic attack. 💬 "He was shaking all over, couldn't breathe," his mother, Natalia, recalls. "After that, he stopped talking to friends and attending his beloved football training. He refused to eat. He was terrified of the sound of breaking glass. He hardly ever left the hallway—he considered it the only safe place." Natalia sought help from a psychologist at the Foundation's center in Zaporizhzhia. Anna Zastelo selected effective self-soothing exercises for Artur. The boy practiced them at home and gradually began to return to his normal life—he resumed football training and started communicating with friends again. Our psychologists can do a lot, but even they cannot change reality. The neighborhood where Artur lives was shelled several more times. 💬 "But my son stayed calm during those shellings—no panic attacks anymore," says Natalia. "After a shell exploded near his school, he was even soothing me. And when the neighborhood with the football field where Artur plays was hit, his first thought was about his teammates. After the explosion, the other boys dropped to the ground, but my son ran to them, urging them to get to a safer place. Thanks to those exercises and Anna's help, my son can now keep calm even in the most stressful situations." In December, for Artur's sake, his mother made the difficult decision to move. Now, the small family lives in Kyiv. He now attends a Kyiv school where his new classmates warmly welcome him. Recently, he was accepted into a local football club. 💬 "For any mother, it's a hard step to reach out to a child psychologist," Natalia says. "Everything resists inside—you keep thinking, 'We don't need help; my child is fine!' But now that Artur and I have been through this difficult chapter, I can tell other moms: don't turn away from help. My son can keep a clear head in any situation, thanks to Anna. And now I know—he'll be okay." Our psychologists work in 10 regions of Ukraine to help children overcome these challenges and find strength within themselves. If you’d like to support us, please donate 👉 voices.org.ua/en/donat

What is it like to be a child living in a country that is defending itself from Russian invasion—or in a foreign city or country, far from everything you knew and loved? No one can tell this story more honestly and sensitively than the children themselves. 📖 In our book, Through the Eyes of Children: Quotes from Childhood Interrupted by War in Ukraine, published with HarperCollins Publishers, we help give voice to the children living through the war in Ukraine. This touching collection pairs children’s quotes with vivid color illustrations—created by the children themselves and by artists from Ukraine and worldwide. It is a book that speaks through the words of children and the stories they have experienced. A book that urges readers to pause and reflect on what they’ve read. Join our mission by ordering a copy: a portion of proceeds from each book sold goes directly toward providing psychological support to Ukrainian children affected by the war. The book is available through official HarperCollins Publishers stores in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia, as well as major U.S. retailers like Amazon, Bookshop, Target, and Walmart. It is also available in online bookstores 👉 bit.ly/3ZY0KuV

Let’s take you inside our office to introduce a part of our team—the people who usually stay «behind the scenes.» We asked our colleagues what motivates them, what interesting facts they can share about themselves, and what they would like to say to all children ⭐️ 🤝 The Voices of Children team is made up of people from all over Ukraine and even the United States. We have different personalities, experiences, and paths, but we are all united by a shared mission: to help. We are able to fulfill this mission thanks to the support of our partners worldwide. In particular, we are grateful to German Marshall Fund of the United States for supporting our organizational capacity-building efforts and for contributing to the development of civil society in Ukraine ❤️  ...  This video was produced with the financial support of The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Its contents are the sole responsibility of Voices of Children and do not necessarily reflect the views of GMF.

💬 "When you live near the war, in a frontline city, you feel it. It may not be visible on slogans at every corner of the city. Still, the spirit of love for our country and unity are within us," says Sofiia Stetsenko, a psychologist at the Sumy Center of "Voices of Children." Despite daily shelling, thousands of children still live in Sumy. They study online, rarely see their peers, and lack a safe space where they can speak out. 📍 That's why, in November last year, the foundation opened a new center where children and their parents can receive psychological support. The local team is small—two psychologists and a coordinator—but they have already helped over a hundred children in this short time. 💬 "Every child has their own experience and needs. Some benefit from breathing techniques, others from tapping or grounding exercises. But the most important thing is support and the opportunity to be among their peers," the psychologist explains. Sofiia has been working at the center since its opening. She was born and raised in Sumy, and although she left for a short time after the full-scale invasion, she ultimately decided to return because this is her home. She explains that every resident of Sumy has their own reasons for staying and ways of maintaining mental well-being. In the video, psychologist Sofiia shares her experience living near the war and her motivation to help children. 📌 We are raising funds to open a permanent center and expand the work of our mobile team in Sumy, ensuring continuous psychological support for children who need it. Please support our work by donating here – https://lnkd.in/e5jbarkf

💬 “I was afraid not of truly living but merely existing. That was at the beginning of the [full-scale] war when I couldn’t believe life would go on,” 16‐year‐old Ania from Kharkiv recalls. The war took away her sense of a future but not her ability to dream. Now, she dreams of becoming an architect and rebuilding the houses destroyed by the Russians 🏚 Ania is one of the millions of Ukrainian children growing up in war conditions. They live with constant bombardment, spend nights in bomb shelters, and often lose their homes and loved people. The stress and instability take a toll on their young minds: some become withdrawn, some lose the motivation to study, and some seek an escape through self-harm or gambling addiction. Our psychologists work in 10 regions of Ukraine to help children overcome these challenges and find strength within themselves. If you’d like to support us, please donate 👉 voices.org.ua/en/donat

Millions of children in Ukraine experience war differently—depending on their age, location, and personal circumstances. But new trends are emerging as we enter the fourth year of full-scale invasion. ❗️ Children are becoming more withdrawn and anxious, struggling to concentrate, and lashing out at loved ones more often. Previously, explosions were their main fear, but now it is the uncertainty of the future. Our Foundation's psychologists support children and parents every day. We've analyzed the most common requests we receive and gathered crucial insights into the mental health of young Ukrainians in the fourth year of the full-scale war. 📊 Read the expert survey findings and key recommendations. If you share our mission and want to help Ukrainian children on their path to recovery, support the Foundation with a donation 👉 voices.org.ua/en/donat

🔺 How does it feel to grow up in frontline Sumy, less than 30 kilometers from the Russian border? Our co-founder, Olena Rozvadovska, visited the city where we launched offline support for children and families through a mobile team at the end of last year. Here, our psychologists Yevheniia and Sofiia, along with coordinator Nadiia, work in a bomb shelter and have already helped over 100 children begin their path to recovery. 🤝 With your support, we can help even more children in this city, which suffers from enemy shelling every day. At a time when opportunities for children in frontline towns are shrinking, we are expanding our work here. We are raising funds to open a stationary center and expand the mobile team’s work, ensuring continuous psychological support for children who need it. There is no such thing as small help 🩵  Join the fundraiser by donating on our website and sharing this video so that more people around the world can learn the truth about the childhood of Ukrainian children during the Russian invasion. Donate here 👉 bit.ly/dntsumy Watch the video to see what Sumy looks like after Russian shelling, how our team works with children, and the story of a child we could support.

The story feels like a movie plot: a young woman from Washington leaves her life behind and travels across the ocean to a country at war to help children. 💼 But we don't even have to imagine it. This is the story of Sarah Slimp, Partnership Development Manager at Voices of Children, who works daily with international donors to raise funds to support Ukrainian families. Read Sarah's story on the slides. You can also support our fundraising campaign to help kids in frontline Sumy here 👉 voices.org.ua/en/donat

💬 "[Ukrainian children] see harsh reality, but in the end, they feel inside of them this resource to continue to dream and to have a goal, to perceive this reality not only from this dark side but also to understand that life will continue," says our co-founder Olena Rozvadovska in an interview with The Independent.  Every day, we see confirmation of these words in the stories of our children. Among them is Liza from the Kharkiv region, who endured occupation, battles for her village, and life in a basement, as well as Sasha from Donetsk, who was forced to leave his hometown due to constant shelling and destruction. Despite all the hardships of war, they continue to dream, set goals, and move forward 🙌 This is an integral part of our work at Voices of Children—we help children not only recover from their experiences but also become more assertive.  Please read the full article from The Independent about our children and the Foundation here 👉 bit.ly/4iqVzdo  Together with you, we can support even more kids who need it. You can donate here — voices.org.ua/en/donat