Blind children in the warm palms of art

Dear friends! We are grateful to each of you for your support during these challenging times for everyone.

The relevance of our project, "Blind Children in the Warm Palms of Art"—which offers rehabilitative art therapy workshops for families from Ukraine raising children with severe visual impairments—lies in the urgent need for support.

Russian military aggression has brought tragedy to Ukraine. Hundreds of homes, schools, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed.

Children have witnessed shelling, the destruction of their homes, and the deaths of loved ones. War and evacuation are grueling ordeals for everyone, but they are particularly difficult—psychologically—for children with complex health conditions and their families.

Issues include stress, depression, low mood, emotional instability, impulsive emotional reactions, a sense of emotional rejection by others, loneliness, interpersonal conflicts, heightened anxiety, fears, and phobias.

Our project aims to help blind Ukrainian children restore their emotional balance through art therapy, learn to cope with anxiety, fear, aggression, and emotional burnout, and gain the opportunity for full development while preventing developmental delays.

During the reporting period, our organization’s social enterprise, "SotsIntel," adapted and published a series of books featuring psychotherapeutic tales: *Keys to Children's Hearts* and *Special Tales*.

In our art workshops, psychologists help children not only gain knowledge about emotions and feelings but also learn to recognize and express their emotions and build confidence in interacting with their peers.

It is important for us to support every child—not only when signs of severe stress are already present but also as a preventive measure against emotional exhaustion.

In April 2026, as part of the project, we took 15 families from Ukraine to Pavlovi Bani (Bulgaria). At the EOD wellness center, mothers and children improved their health, received support from rehabilitation specialists, and participated in "Vaccination Against Stress" workshops based on fairy-tale therapy.

Project participants were delighted by the "Journey to the Land of Mom's Hugs" family game, which incorporated elements of the Veronica Sherborne method and play therapy.

Workshops on creating "Helper Dolls" and a magical "Wishing Tree" brought great joy to both the mothers and the children.

Evening dance-movement therapy sessions gave mothers the opportunity to express feelings that are hard to put into words and to relieve stress and tension.

We plan to organize a summer art-therapy and wellness camp in August 2026 for 25 children and their mothers from Kharkiv, a city located in a combat zone.

• Moms_reviews_of_the_project.docx (DOCX)