Restore Hope for 200 Kids with Gen.Ukrainian

We continue our mission to restore childhood for children affected by the war in Ukraine. Your support makes this possible.

Since our last update, the first intensive psychological rehabilitation camp of the 2026 cycle has been completed. For 21 days, 50 children who experienced defined loss (the death of a parent or close loved one because of the war) received professional psychological support, care, and a safe space to begin healing.

For many of these children, grief is something they carry quietly. Some have learned to protect themselves by staying silent. Some avoid speaking about what happened. Some feel different from their peers because their childhood has been shaped by loss, fear, and uncertainty.

At Gen.Camp, they meet other children who understand this pain without long explanations.

This is one of the most important parts of the programme. Children find themselves in an environment where they are not judged, rushed, or expected to “be strong.” They can be sad, angry, silent, playful, tired, or open and still be accepted. Slowly, when they no longer need to defend their feelings, they begin to trust, connect, and open up.

The daily rhythm of the camp was carefully designed to support emotional stabilisation. It combined individual therapy, group sessions, art therapy, physical activities, structured rest, and time for peer connection. This balance helps children regain a sense of safety and predictability - something war has taken away from so many of them.

Art therapy became one of the ways children could express what is often too difficult to say in words. Through drawing, modelling, and other creative practices, they could show their sadness, fears, memories, and hopes for the future in a safe and gentle way.

The camp also followed a phone-light routine. Children had limited time with their phones each day, helping them take a break from constant news, online distractions, and the pressure of always being connected. Instead, they had space to be present, with themselves, with other children, and with caring adults around them.

Before the camp started, our team went through special preparation. Psychologists, tutors, art therapists, and other specialists were trained on working with children affected by traumatic loss, group therapy methods, psychological screening, safeguarding principles, communication with parents, daily routines, and how to document children’s progress safely and ethically.

We also measured children’s psycho-emotional state before and after the programme using validated psychological questionnaires. The first results are encouraging: most children showed positive changes after the camp. In 91% of participants, symptoms connected with post-traumatic stress, anxiety, tension, sleep difficulties, and everyday functioning decreased. During the final assessment, 85% of children reported feeling better about their traumatic experience than they had at the beginning of the programme.

Behind these numbers are children who began to sleep better, speak more freely, ask for support, play with others again, and believe that their feelings can be held safely.

This camp was only one step in a longer recovery journey. Children affected by war-related loss need not only one moment of care, but continuous support. That is why Gen.Ukrainian continues to develop follow-up care, family support, and the next intensive programmes for children with different war-related experiences.

Thanks to your support, 200 children will receive structured psychological rehabilitation in 2026 - giving them not only professional support, but also a safe space to feel joy, connection, and hope again.

War has taken much from Ukrainian children. Together, we are helping them reclaim their right to childhood.

We work to ensure that no child is left behind.

War has taken much from Ukrainian children. Together, we are helping them reclaim their right to childhood.