Training helps families tackle the impact of war in Ukraine
Together with partners, UNICEF is helping parents to support their young children amid the ongoing war
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Children in Ukraine have had their lives upended by war. For many months, five-year-old Hanna was anxious, frightened of loud noises and struggled to sleep.
“At the beginning of the war, we stopped attending kindergarten.This was the time when my daughter was the most anxious,” says Alla, her mother.
Then, Alla found out about new training for parents that was taking place at the local kindergarten, as part of the project "Supporting teachers of preschool education institutions and accompanying children in an emergency". The training aims to support parents so that they can help young children to develop, overcome anxiety and explain what is happening in their country.
"In my opinion, we have to talk about war with children, not only in kindergarten,” says Alla. “Parents have to talk about it too. Children don't spend all their day indoors, and they feel safest next to their parents”
The training was organized by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) together with its partner "Krok za Krokom".
The kindergarten held ten meetings for parents, each devoted to a different topic. Together with a teacher and a practical psychologist, the participants discussed what parents should do if children behave aggressively, how to talk to children about the war and what to do if a child is scared or upset. The training also helped parents to exchange their experiences.
Alla says her new knowledge has helped her to better interact with her children. She has now shared these tips with her husband and, at last, Hanna is able to sleep peacefully.
"For myself, I chose therapeutic, artistic techniques that we use before going to bed,” she says. “For example, we made dream catchers or angels. Every night we talk about what the day was like for our daughter, and she liked this the most.”
So far, the project has reached around 7,000 people in 20 regions of Ukraine who just like Alla received training for parents.
