Educational and Psychosocial Support for Children and Youth

Russia’s war of aggression has profoundly changed the lives of millions of children in Ukraine. In Kharkiv, air raid alarms, shelling and damaged infrastructure are part of everyday life. Many families live under severe psychological stress, while children often have only limited access to safe places where they can learn, play and interact with others. In the heavily affected district of Saltivka in particular, there are few protected spaces where children can escape the realities of war for a few hours. At the same time, many children struggle to cope with fear, stress and the experiences of war.

Our goal is to provide children and teenagers in Kharkiv with a safe space where they can find stability, support and a sense of community.

In our children’s centre, they have a protected environment where they can play, learn and take part in shared activities. Psychosocial support helps them cope with stress, fear and difficult experiences, strengthening their resilience and emotional well-being. At the same time, we support children in closing learning gaps that have emerged due to air raid alarms, interrupted schooling and the destruction of educational infrastructure. Through targeted learning support, we help them improve their academic performance and increase their chances of achieving a successful school graduation.

By fostering stability, social support and educational opportunities, the project also helps reduce fears about the future and strengthens children’s confidence in their own prospects.

Together with our local partner organisation, Libereco operates a children’s safe space in Kharkiv. The underground centre offers a protected environment where children and young people can regularly take part in a variety of activities:

• psychosocial group activities
• creative and art-based therapeutic activities
• learning support and educational activities
• workshops to strengthen self-confidence and social skills
• support for children and families in dealing with stress and difficult experiences

The safe space provides not only protection, but also structure, social interaction and positive experiences.

The children’s safe space was first opened in September 2023. Since then, the centre has remained continuously open, providing children and young people with a safe place to learn, play and interact. The project has so far been supported by Stiftung Nord-Süd-Brücken, the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, BILD hilft e.V. “Ein Herz für Kinder”, as well as Libereco’s own funds.

Since the start of the project, the centre has also been expanded with an additional room, creating more space for activities and enabling even more children and young people to participate.