"These children need immediate help": the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is the first to provide rehabilitation to children who were illegally taken to the russian federation and returned to Ukraine

They hardly speak and hardly make contact. Some of them escape from reality into gadgets, while others are deeply withdrawn into themselves. These are Ukrainian children and teenagers who were illegally taken to russia and managed to return to Ukraine. The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation was the first to help these children's psychological and physical recovery.

The Foundation's "Peaceful Rest for Children of Ukraine" project, which takes place in Zakarpattia in the format of "Blogger Camp" sessions, involves children affected by the war.

This time, the change is special because the trauma experienced by the children is deep and needs special help. Therefore, a whole team of psychologists from the Foundation and a specialist in physical rehabilitation joined the work with them. 

"This session is not like the ones we had because children are the hardest. They are very quiet, silent. This is a reaction to trauma. There are children whose stories we know only from the words of guardians or parents. And it's difficult because we can't even imagine the depth of the trauma," shares Yuliia Kriuchkova, a practical psychologist at the Foundation.

For this session, the Foundation's psychologists reformatted their usual work with war trauma in order to painlessly and gradually provide aid to children who experienced separation from their Motherland and relatives.

"Deportation is a real captivity. Some children were told they would never see their parents... We bring them back to the normal world and restore trust in adults. Because the picture of the world will never be rebuilt if there is no trust in it," Yuliia is sure.

The psychologist emphasizes that this session is not just rest but primarily rehabilitation, which is facilitated by the fact that the children work with qualified specialists and the fact that they are among those who have similar experiences. 

“The Foundation's program, which has been operating since the beginning of the war, has experience in rehabilitation. And this is the most important thing in our business. We are at the beginning of a long journey, but it is already clear that these children need help immediately, without waiting for the end of the war,” emphasizes the psychologist.

Almost 4.9 thousand children who suffered from the war have already received rest, rehabilitation, and psychological assistance within the framework of the project “Rinat Akhmetov for Children. Peaceful Rest for Children of Ukraine.” In total, more than 5 million children received support under the "Rinat Akhmetov for Children” program.