By Sarah Slimp | Individual Donor Manager
Winter Activities in Sumy
November 2025 – January 2026 Impact Update
Winter in Sumy, a region bordering Russia, carries more than snow and freezing temperatures. It carries uncertainty. Air raid alarms interrupt daily life. News from the border is constant. Families live with the weight of proximity to danger.
And yet, inside our Voices of Children center, something very different exists.
From November through January, our psychologists, case managers, and psychosocial facilitators worked intensively to ensure that children and families in Sumy had consistent, professional psychological support during some of the most difficult winter months.
November: Expanding Support and Strengthening Community
November is traditionally one of our busiest months, and this year was no exception.
Across the region, our specialists led group sessions, supported parents, celebrated World Children’s Day, and conducted outreach visits to surrounding communities. In Sumy alone, we met with 209 children and their parents, conducted 35 individual consultations, held 25 psychological group sessions, and facilitated 18 psychosocial groups for children.
We also strengthened our team by welcoming two new specialists: a psychosocial facilitator and a case manager. Their presence increased our ability to respond to growing needs in this border region.
In November, representatives from The Washington Post visited the center, helping bring international attention to the realities children face here. During their visit, one small moment captured the heart of our work.
A journalist asked a young girl what she wanted for St. Nicholas Day. She immediately listed art supplies: brushes, paints, sketchbooks, pencils. When he gently asked if that was too much for one gift, she replied confidently:
“No, it’s not too much. I need all of it because my teacher said I am a creative person.”
In a region shaped by displacement and uncertainty, a child believing in her creativity is powerful. Psychological support is not only about healing trauma. It is about protecting identity, nurturing confidence, and preserving dreams.
December and January: Deepening Structured Support
As winter deepened, so did our programming.
In December, we met with 290 children and parents, conducted 27 individual consultations, held 15 psychological group sessions, and facilitated 45 psychosocial groups.
In January, the need continued to grow. We met with 354 children and parents, conducted 33 individual consultations, held 25 psychological group sessions, and facilitated 46 psychosocial groups.
Several new therapeutic groups launched as we closed 2025 and began 2026, including:
Other sessions focused on emotional literacy, trauma processing, identity development, and peer relationships through programs such as:
Psychosocial initiatives also expanded with:
Creative workshops complemented therapeutic sessions, offering children safe, hands-on ways to process their emotions. They created anti-stress toys, string art, felt figures, candle holders titled “Warmth Lives Here,” patriotic keychains, and affirmation paintings.
In one “Team Building” session in Trostianets, teenagers painted their own bags, reflecting quietly while building a sense of unity. In a group for adolescents titled “Grinch,” participants explored how traumatic experiences affect communication and relationships. During “Affirmation Painting,” children expressed their dreams through color, brushstrokes, and personal affirmations.
These are not simply craft activities. They are structured, evidence-based therapeutic interventions designed to restore a sense of agency, belonging, and emotional safety.
Mobile Teams in Action
Not all children can come to the center. That is why our mobile teams continue to travel to nearby communities throughout the winter.
During these months:
For many children in these communities, these visits are their only access to structured psychological care.
Sustained by Your Support
The Sumy center operates because people around the world believe that no child in Ukraine should be left alone with the psychological consequences of war.
Because of your support through GlobalGiving and public fundraising:
Winter in a frontline region is not easy. But inside our center in Sumy, and in every village our mobile teams visit, children are not defined by fear.
Thank you for standing with them, and with us, through this winter season.
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