Nadiya is a sixteen-year-old sponsored girl in our Ternopil site, Ukraine. She lives with her two brothers and her parents. As the conflict continues in their country, our site has developed a program called Family Resilience in Conditions of War and Post-War. In this program families, like Nadiya’s, are finding solace and support part in.
The war has caused a wide variety of distressing and traumatic situations which affect each child, and their family, uniquely. Many families were separated from relatives and loved ones as family members were called up for duty in the armed forces. Some lost their jobs, displaced during evacuation, or have left the country as refugees. Due to this, the situation has been overwhelming, and many families feel defenseless and helpless.
The key to facing this period, and the time of restoration that will come afterward, is resilience. This skill must be built through mental health education, self-awareness, and improvement of communication skills. Having these tools, parents can effectively support their children, families, and wider communities.
Therefore, the site designed a year-long program for parents to grow their resilience ‘toolbox.’ Throughout three modules, an experienced psychologist will train parents in techniques that begin with themselves, continue to their children and families, and then extend to the wider community. Parents will learn about the wide-ranging experience of trauma and post-trauma, and how to identify these signs in themselves and others. They will learn communication skills and age-appropriate parenting tools to help navigate their children’s upbringing in a conflict zone.
This program will increase parents’ level of psychological awareness and literacy, which includes working on themselves and their capabilities during crises, building self-respect, and confidence in their own strength. Resilience tools give them the means to correctly assess situations, choose constructive ways of communication, and understand themselves and others. There will also be one-to-one counseling for all participants throughout the training.
You can help support programs like this bs donating at: https://chalice.ca/community-projects.
Those who donated to this program are supporting 415 people, including 144 sponsored children, who are facing the traumas of war together. The Family Resilience in Conditions of War and Post-War program is helping them recover with strength, peace, and form a stronger community.
To watch a video from Ukraine on the effects of the war on families, or to donate to the Ukraine Disaster Fund please visit our Disaster Fund page.
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