GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: Europe
SECTOR OF INTERVENTION: Health and Well-being, Social Inclusion, Human Rights, Reducing Inequalities
SHORT PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This 12-month initiative was created to provide a humanitarian response to the emergency situation of children with severe disabilities and their families affected by the trauma of the war in Ukraine. The project is coordinated by the Terra Libera Association (lead partner) and the You For Ukraine Children Foundation (local partner). Through an integrated psychomotor rehabilitation program at the “I am” Center in Kiev, it aims to strengthen the provision of social and health services and equipment for children (aged 3-17) with severe psychophysical disabilities caused and/or aggravated by the effects of the war, improving their psychophysical and social well-being. The initiative aims to extend assistance to the families of minors through a program of psychological support and empowerment, promoting social integration and resilience in times of crisis.
OBJECTIVES:
- Improve the health of minors with severe psychophysical disabilities and the well-being of their families in Ukraine, coming from Kyiv and other conflict-affected oblasts, promoting greater social integration and resilience in the emergency context of the war.
- Expand and strengthen the range and quality of services, spaces, and support in the city of Kyiv for psychomotor, intellectual, and sensory rehabilitation for minors with severe disabilities, promoting effective strategies for adapting to the emergency context.
- Extend support and assistance to the families of children with severe disabilities affected by the trauma of war, through psychological support and empowerment, promoting social reintegration into local communities.
ACTIVITIES:
- Identification and care of beneficiaries (minors) → The U4UC team will work closely with the Kyiv Regional Council to identify and contact the families of minors with disabilities—from Kyiv and throughout the country.
- Reception and orientation for families → The U4UC team, in collaboration with the Regional Council, will organize meetings with families to: develop a specific rehabilitation program for each child; and provide organizational, logistical, and reception support.
- Psychomotor rehabilitation sessions → In this Action, the U4UC staff will manage and monitor the phases of the rehabilitation program implemented by the Regional Council’s specialized team for the 80 minors involved in the project. The rehabilitation program will be developed throughout the project (12 months) and consists of individual cycles of psychomotor rehabilitation sessions lasting two to three weeks (16-21 days) for approximately 6-10 sessions, based on each patient’s specific diagnosis and differentiated by age and type of disability.
- Purchase of rehabilitation equipment → In this phase, at the direction of the Committee of Research and in close coordination with Terra Libera and ProSud, specific equipment for rehabilitation sessions will be purchased from the partner U4UC. U4UC will manage supplier relationships and verify the quality of the equipment, and will provide logistics support and support for purchasing and transportation procedures. Specifically, material support will be purchased in Ukraine for the “Multisensory Room – Snoezelen Method” to be set up at the Committee of Research in Kiev.
- Identification and care of beneficiaries (families) and Psychological support and empowerment sessions → The U4UC team will organize and coordinate the core activities of this initiative, which consist of cycles of psychological support and group empowerment sessions, implemented by experts/technicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, coaches) already involved in the activities of the CoR.
RESULTS:
- Children and young people (3-17 years) with disabilities → Promoted psychomotor, perceptual-sensory, intellectual, communicative, affective-relational, and behavioral well-being of minors with severe disabilities; facilitated and enhanced integration into active social life (e.g., local community, family, school); stimulated and improved perceptual-sensory skills; improved management of behavioral disorders, acute and chronic stress, and war-related anxiety; promoted child relaxation and stabilized psycho-emotional state; alleviated fears and aggression; increased confidence in one’s own potential; enhanced social-relational and communication development with family members and others; improved quality of life and achieved a higher level of well-being in a war context.
- Families/parents/guardians of minors with disabilities → Increased knowledge of their children’s level of disability and of rehabilitation models and therapies; Acquired new solutions to address disability; improved independence and opportunities for social integration in the local context (e.g., city, neighborhood, school); alleviated and/or processed personal trauma related to their children’s disabilities; increased emotional self-awareness; alleviated trauma and acute stress caused by war; acquired techniques and strategies for adapting to daily emergency situations.
PARTNERSHIP: Lead partner: Associazione Terra Libera; Partners: Fondazione You For Ukraine Children (local partner), Progetto Sud (technical assistance).
PERIOD/DURATION: 2025 – 2026 (12 months)
DONOR: Autonomous Province of Trento
