‘People who transmit the voices of children in time of war’: Korean edition of ETODAY about the help to children from Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

Journalists of the South Korean edition of ETODAY asked Rinat Akhmetov Foundation about the support programmes for children who systematically receive the Foundation's assistance during the war, and also shared their stories about their experiences for the Museum of Civilian Voices by Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. The journalists talked about the support and recovery of the affected children of Ukraine in an editorial.

Original article in Korean: https://www.etoday.co.kr/news/view/2395223

Translated into Ukrainian at the Museum of Civilian Voices by Rinat Akhmetov Foundation: https://bit.ly/4dL1Cr6

Children who stayed in frontline cities or cities that are frequently shelled during the war have become anxious, often sick, sleeping a lot and showing signs of chronic stress. ‘Constant threats such as air raids, destruction and death have a profound impact on children,’ commented representatives of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

What does it mean for children to tell their story during the war? The Foundation's staff say that interviews with children often have a therapeutic effect: 

'In psychology, there is a method of treating traumatic experiences when a person tells his or her story to another, receiving support and sharing their feelings. After children testify, they feel not only sadness and pain, but also relief and peace. We work with psychologists to help children talk more freely about the horrors of war, turning what they have experienced into their own story.’

Psychologists work with past traumas, but now focus more on the positive aspects of interaction. The Foundation's priority is to help children form a positive image of the future and develop good habits for recovery.

‘It has become clear that not only survival, but also the need to talk about your pain in front of others is important. We keep the memory of the past and present alive for a better, peaceful future,’ the Foundation experts emphasised.

The publication notes that to help children during the war, Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is implementing a number of projects. In particular, it provides recreation and rehabilitation in the format of a children's camp as part of Peaceful Recreation for Children of Ukraine project, provides children with hearing impairments with state-of-the-art hearing aids under I Can Hear Now project, and arranges a holiday and gives gifts on New Year's or Christmas as part of the New Year's Campaign.

Learn more about the Foundation's children's programmes and projects: https://akhmetovfoundation.org/rinat-ahmetov-dityam