A Talisman for Hope and Protection

“There were a lot of things left in the apartment that were important to me, and I still remember them,” says Daniil. At the last moment, he stuffed a small angel figurine in his backpack. Then his mother set off with him and his sister. The situation was chaotic, the streets jammed with desperate people running for their lives. “There were a lot of cars and accidents, and it was very hard for my mom to drive”, Daniil remembers. Six-month-old Varvara was crying almost all the way. Daniil himself was sad and scared – because worst of all, his father had to stay behind. “And it was not clear when we would see each other.”

Like so many other Ukrainian families in those chaotic early days of the countrywide war against Ukraine, Daniil’s family was separated. And none knew when, if ever, they would reunite with those family members who would now serve in the military. In addition to the stress of fleeing, this was and is traumatizing especially for children.

No child should have to experience war. Family separations, displacement, bombings, and constant interruptions to daycare and school can cause anxiety, stress, grief, lack of sleep, aggression and depression. In Daniil's case, his mother sought support from the mental health experts at our partner organization Words Help. As Daniil was only seven years old at the time, the sessions initially took place with his mother present. The psychologist advised her on how she could help Daniil. But also about how she herself could deal with the war and its consequences. 

Later, the psychologist worked with Daniil alone. In a playful way, Daniil learned how to deal with what he had experienced. His parents soon noticed positive results. However, the continuation of the war, explosions, constant fear and the need to spend long periods in shelters repeatedly led to relapses. This is the same for Daniil as well as for countless other children and adults. Real healing can only begin once there is peace.

Together with our partner organizations Malteser Ukraine, Mental Health Service and Words Help, we provide specialist mental and psychosocial support, training for medical staff and social cohesion activities in various locations throughout Ukraine. Thanks to the support of the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Aktion Deutschland Hilft, we have already been able to support tens of thousands of children, women and men.