The Right of the Child to Development and Protection: Stories of Support from Kamianske and Zaporizhzhia
During the war, every childhood story is a separate path toward safety, development, and recovery.
But there is something that unites all the families who turn to our specialists: the need for support that protects the child’s rights every day.
Kamianske. Matvii’s family changed their place of residence many times after his father was injured during shelling in Sievierodonetsk. Due to constant relocations, the boy did not attend kindergarten, had almost no communication with peers, and faced difficulties at school.
Specialists from NGO “Responsible Citizens” assessed the child’s psycho-emotional state, helped Matvii learn to recognize and regulate his emotions, and master self-stabilization techniques. A psychologist also worked with his mother to reduce her anxiety and provide practical tools to support her son.
The teacher received recommendations on how to interact with the boy and organize a safe educational environment.
The results came quickly: Matvii became more attentive and calm, better controlled his emotions, and relationships in the classroom noticeably improved. The family also received financial assistance, a clothing voucher, and a hygiene kit.
Zaporizhzhia.
When Khrystyna Tkachenko and her three-year-old daughter Alina left Velyka Bilozerka, they found themselves in a new city without support. Alina had difficulties with speech sounds, and her mother felt severe emotional exhaustion — something many single parents experience during forced internal displacement.
In Zaporizhzhia, the family turned to the Child-Friendly Space operating within a UNICEF Ukraine project implemented by NGO “Responsible Citizens.” Here, Alina began sessions with a speech therapist, Khrystyna received psychological support, and joint art-therapy sessions helped them both regain a sense of safety. Thanks to the specialists’ comprehensive work, Alina became more confident, improved her pronunciation, and Khrystyna became calmer and less anxious. After another shelling, when the girl’s fears returned and stuttering appeared, the Child-Friendly Space team quickly provided additional support and helped stabilize her condition.
“Here we found the belief that everything will be alright,” the mother says.
Both of these stories are about different families, different challenges, and different paths to safety. But they share one thing: the protection of a child’s rights does not stop even during war. When specialists are nearby and ready to support a family, a child’s right to development, emotional resilience, education, and care becomes real — not merely declarative.
Більше новин
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Training on the development of family-based care held in ZaporizhzhiaThe NGO Responsible Citizens, in partnership with the Zaporizhzhia Regional Center for Social Services, within the UNICEF Ukraine project, conducted training for representatives of social services from communities in the Zaporizhzhia region on the topic of creating and developing family-based care.
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NGO “Responsible Citizens” continues to implement a UNICEF Ukraine project in Zaporizhzhia region aimed at supporting family-based careIn October, the fifth training group for candidates from Zaporizhzhia region started at the Training and Education Center for Social Work.
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Operational aid for those affected in Yarova: 23 households received supportThe project is implemented by the "Responsible Citizens" NGO in partnership with Mercy Corps and with the financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom.
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325 kg of Aid for IDP women in ZaporizhzhiaIn November, thanks to the collaboration between Nova Poshta Humanitarian and the NGO “Responsible Citizens,” 25 boxes of hygiene kits, weighing a total...
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The NGO Responsible Citizens has joined the implementation of the Berehynia projectAs part of the Consortium of the Joint Initiative for the Protection of Frontline Areas, together with Corus International, the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health “Right to Health” (HealthRight International) in Ukraine, the NGO League of Modern Women, and with financial support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, we are working to ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most as quickly as possible.
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September 1 marks the launch of a new project by Responsible Citizens NGO in collaboration with the Government of the Faroe IslandsThe new initiative aims to address educational losses among students in eastern Ukraine who have been unable to fully engage with their curricula.
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Strengthening Support for Family-Based CareOlena Bieloliptseva, Education Projects Coordinator at the NGO Responsible Citizens, took part in the inaugural meeting of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family-Based Upbringing and Child Care.
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Space of opportunities: how UNICEF and partners are saving children’s futures“Mom, when are we going to the Space again?” — Sashko eagerly awaits each visit because it was there that he truly started speaking for the first time.