15-year-old Vika and her mother had to leave their native Beryslav in the Kherson region due to constant bombing by Russian troops. Living next to a place where bombs dropped by Russian planes regularly explode was impossible.

The war deprived the girl of the opportunity to enjoy the usual hobbies of a child — drawing and reading books. Only her beloved cat and dog, which she often patted, calmed the girl at home.

At our “Hope and Healing” center in Kyiv, Vika joined the psychological rehabilitation program, and the child’s psychological condition began to change for the better. Regular individual and group consultations with professional psychologists and art therapy sessions helped her:

✔️ Learn to manage oneself in a state of anxiety
✔️ Understand your own emotions and feelings
✔️ Find new friends with similar experiences and learn to maintain friendly relationships within a group
✔️ Recover gradually after the injuries in a safe place

“Now I feel much better. I worry less about the past and the future. The acquired skills help me cope with the consequences of what I have experienced,” says a smiling Vika.

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Consultations are going on within the program “Complex Psychological Assistance to Children and Families Affected by the War” of the USAID project “Development of a sustainable public health system” with the support of PACT. This program aimed at providing psychological support to displaced adults and children who have experienced traumatic experiences.