Let's help blind children refugees from Ukraine

Dear friends,

The reporting period has been very challenging for us.

Unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv, has not improved. Power outages continue, there is a lack of heating, and constant shelling from Russia. The winter has been very cold, and the absence of heat and electricity in the center has made our work extremely difficult. Both staff and children have been getting sick with colds more often. Sometimes meetings and classes had to be canceled.

Despite this, our team is doing everything possible to support families raising children with severe developmental disabilities, large families, and those who remain in Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine.

Thanks to our international partners, our organization’s humanitarian aid headquarters provides families with essential assistance: food, hygiene products, rehabilitation equipment, toys, and books.

Our specialists offer families raising children with severe visual impairments access to specialized support—not only financial but also psychological.

Thanks to your support, through the online school “Parent Universities,” we strive to provide parents and teachers with the knowledge necessary for raising and developing children in extreme conditions such as war. These are the tools that help them overcome difficulties and prevent developmental delays in their children.

Every week during online meetings, we train parents, answer their questions, and provide psychological support.

During the reporting period, we assessed 98 children for distress and referred those with high stress levels to free consultations with specialists at the Institute for Maternal and Child Health Protection.

Our families are participating in the project “Supporting Children in Times of Crisis: The Power of Positive Parenting.” This is a time when they can forget about the war, at least for a short while. We teach them to cope with negative emotions through art therapy methods.

The sessions are engaging and educational, giving children the opportunity to better understand the importance of support and caring for one another.

During the winter holidays (Christmas, New Year, St. Nicholas Day), all our children received gifts—not only sweets but also books about winter holidays and toys.

We paid special attention to patriotic education. During the reporting period, we adapted and printed more than 10 new books from the “Heroic Tales” series using universal design principles. These books tell about the history of our country, the war, and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

Thank you for your support—for helping our children smile despite the war.

• This_is_how_our_help_works.docx (DOCX)

Dear friends!

 Thanks to your support, our organization is not only coping with the difficulties of wartime and continuing its work. Our Humanitarian Aid Headquarters continuously provides support to families raising children with disabilities. This includes food packages, hygiene products, medications, rehabilitation equipment, toys, clothing, and textbooks.

Unfortunately, the situation in Kharkiv has become even worse. There are constant power outages, and there is often no heat or water. And children suffer the most.

 We understand how important it is to provide Ukrainian families raising children with severe visual impairments with the opportunity to receive specialist support, not only financial but also psychological support.

 Over the past few months, we have been able to improve the material and technical resources of our social enterprise, SotsIntel.

This significantly colored the brightness of books like ours. Now, most of Socintel’s book production operations are being completed independently.

 Our team of specialists strives to provide parents and teachers with the necessary knowledge for the development and upbringing of children in extreme conditions such as war.

Knowledge that will help them overcome difficulties and prevent their children from stunting their development.

We have printed 100 copies of the methodological manual "Hands for Hugging" and the book for parents and children "About Emotions."

We have also printed 100 copies of the brochure "Your Helper in Braille Script." We have also prepared for publication

a collection of fairy tales by Ukrainian  writers, "Winter Poured Snowflakes on Your Palms."

Thanks to the support of Global Given, we were able to organize the online parenting school "Self-Help Academy," where parents meet with specialists, attend lectures, and receive answers to their questions. We have also launched a "Parenting Universities" chat on our Telegram channel, where we post methodological materials for parents and specialists.

 We are participating in the project "Supporting Children in Times of Crisis: The Power of Positive Fatherhood."

The events we are experiencing today are terrifying and painful. Even if we are not physically harmed, everyone—both adults and children—feels stress. Children are vulnerable to the effects of war and its consequences.

Our psychologists have assessed over 50 children for stress. We hold meetings twice a month for children and their parents, "Stress Inoculation" training sessions, and art therapy sessions that help relieve anxiety, fear, and emotional tension.

 This is a time when they can forget about the war, even if only for a short while. We teach them to cope with negative emotions.

In October and November, together with our partners in Ukraine and Poland, we organized two trips for 50 Ukrainian children and young people to Bialystok and Radom. During the trips, our children learned how to navigate space!

During the lesson, the children learned about the different types of ropes and their purposes, and learned how to navigate stairs and tight spaces. Particular attention was paid to accompanying a blind person, an important skill that teaches not only practical assistance but also compassion, mutual understanding, and respect for others.

The lessons were engaging and informative, and gave the children the opportunity to better understand the importance of supporting and caring for one another. There were many excursions and interesting meetings.

We are currently preparing for the winter holidays and want to give our children the gift of Christmas.

Thank you for joining us!

• Feedback_on_our_work.docx (DOCX)