Provision of Essential Health, Protection, and Education Services to the Affected Population in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts: Results from July 2023 to August 2024

From July 2023 to August 2024, NGO Responsible Citizens, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), implemented a project aimed at providing psychosocial, educational, and medical support to families with children in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Key project results:

• 37 mobile teams and 28 child-friendly spaces provided services in 32 communities across Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts over the course of a year.
• 69,988 children, parents, and caregivers received mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), including group and individual consultations.
• 7,013 children benefited from case management services aimed at addressing specific social and educational challenges.
• Over 50,900 individuals learned about safety rules and emergency prevention through Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) programs.
• Within the framework of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention programs, 46,154 individuals received informational support.
• 1,500 local specialists, including social workers, educators, and psychologists, attended training sessions focused on enhancing knowledge in child rights protection and psychosocial stress relief.
• 944 children from non-deoccupied areas of Donetsk oblast returned to formal or informal education through the project’s educational initiatives.

The organization not only coordinated the work of mobile teams and child-friendly spaces but also actively participated in training local specialists, developing educational programs, and monitoring their effectiveness. Thanks to a multidisciplinary approach, the project included the support of psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, and child protection specialists.

The project provided tangible services to children and their families while strengthening cooperation between local authorities, social protection agencies, educational institutions, and humanitarian organizations. This effort lays the groundwork for a sustainable infrastructure to protect and support the most vulnerable populations.

“This project was both a significant challenge and a great opportunity to contribute to the future of communities. We are proud of the results achieved together with UNICEF and believe that the foundations laid will foster the development of communities in vulnerable regions of eastern Ukraine even after the program ends,” said Olga Kosse, Chair of the Board of NGO Responsible Citizens.

In the first half of 2024, the project was extended to 2025 under the direction: ‘Strengthening Community Capacity to Provide Essential Protection and Resilience Services in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts,’ implemented by NGO ‘Responsible Citizens’ with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and financial assistance from USAID.