Expand Life-Changing Services for Children in Sumy

Dear GlobalGiving friends, 

For children growing up in Sumy, summer does not necessarily mean carefree days outdoors. The city and the surrounding region continue to face attacks, air raid alerts, and the fear of what might happen next. For children and their parents, living under constant threat means dealing with tension and uncertainty even during moments that should feel ordinary. 

But thanks to your support, families in Sumy have a place to turn to — a space where children can spend time with others, express their emotions, and find moments of relief, while parents can seek psychological support and share what they are going through. 

Between June and August, our center in Sumy provided psychological and psychosocial support to 435 children and parents. This included 89 individual psychological consultations for children and 55 for parents, as well as 243 psychosocial group sessions for children. 

A place where children can feel supported 

For five-year-old Veronika, the fear of attacks is part of everyday life. 

When she was just one year old, a guided aerial bomb struck near her home. Right before the impact of the bomb, her mother managed to take Veronika and her grandmother down to the basement, while her father remained outside. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the experience left the little girl deeply frightened. 

Veronika was too young to speak at the time. Instead, she pointed toward the basement door and begged her mother to close it. Even now, when the family visits her grandmother, Veronika still asks them to do the same. 

The fear returns whenever she hears an air raid alert announcing that guided aerial bombs are heading toward the city. Even while playing at the playground, those words can frighten her and make her want to run and hide. 

Sometimes, Veronika finds reassurance in thinking about her godfather, Andrii, who serves in the military. During air raid alerts, she asks whether he is “at work.” When she hears that he is, she says: “Then everything will be fine. He will protect us.” 

At the Voices of Children center, Veronika takes part in group sessions. These give her an opportunity to socialize, work through difficult emotions, and spend time with other children. 

Her story is a reminder that children experience the war in deeply personal ways. Even when they are too young to explain their fears, those feelings can stay with them and shape their everyday lives. 

Support for children and parents 

Veronika is not the only child who needs support. In Sumy, adults are also increasingly reaching out for help, describing exhaustion, constant tension, and the strain of living in anticipation of danger. 

That is why our center's work extends beyond individual psychological consultations. Throughout the summer, children took part in psychosocial group activities and creative workshops, including painting, crafts, and games. These activities gave them opportunities to express themselves, explore their emotions, and spend time in a supportive environment. 

Our psychologists also continued group programs designed to help children understand and manage their emotions. One of them, “Voice of Fairy Tales: Getting to Know Emotions,” was completed in August at two preschool institutions in Sumy: Nursery-Kindergarten No. 17 “Happiness” and Child Development Center No. 26 “Laskavushka.” Each group attended 12 weekly sessions featuring fairy tales, discussions, breathing exercises, self-regulation techniques, games, and creative activities. 

Alongside these activities, individual psychological consultations remained available for children and parents. This support matters not only when a child is struggling, but also when parents need a place to talk through their own worries and find guidance as they support their children. 

Sofiia Stetsenko, a psychologist at Voices of Children, notes that signs of trauma are increasingly appearing in younger children, with parents seeking support even for very young children. 

“We see children struggling with fears they would rather forget, sleep problems, and other forms of trauma related to the war. Some families manage to hold on for as long as they can, but eventually have to leave their homes. Often, this happens after a critical event — for example, when a guided aerial bomb strikes nearby, and a child’s distress reaches a crisis point. We also receive requests for help with speech-related difficulties, including speech disorders and mutism. Children’s speech and language development is particularly affected, and this has become another growing area of concern,” she explains. 

The center's work also included activities beyond its walls, with visits to communities across the Sumy region, bringing support closer to families affected by the war. 

Thank you for being there for families in Sumy 

The war continues to shape childhood in Sumy. Children may be frightened by the sound of an alert, struggle to make sense of their emotions, or need help feeling comfortable around others again. Their parents, meanwhile, are carrying their own fears and trying to support their families through uncertainty. 

Your support helps make sure they do not have to face these challenges alone. It allows Voices of Children to provide psychological consultations, group sessions, creative activities, and programs that help children and parents find support when they need it. 

Thank you for standing with children and families in Sumy throughout the summer. Together, we are helping make space for connection, expression, and support — even in a city where the threat of war remains part of everyday life. 

Please continue supporting Ukrainian children as they grow up amid the uncertainty of war. 

Links:

• Families, teachers and communities taking action to help kids
• Let the Ukrainian children ask for help
• "While Leila Swings, I Watch Where the Drone Is Heading"