Spaces, mobile teams, support: daily help for families in Kharkiv Region
Despite the daily challenges of war, a dedicated team of professionals in Kharkiv region continues to deliver essential social services to children and families. This work is part of the UNICEF Ukraine project “Strengthening community capacity to provide essential protection and resilience services in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions,” implemented by the NGO “Responsible Citizens.”
The region hosts:
11 child-friendly spaces — safe environments where children and parents play, learn, and recover.
7 mobile psychosocial support teams — reaching families in remote areas with limited access to services.
“We provide systematic support — consultations, individual assistance, and psychosocial help for families, even during emergencies like shelling or air raid alerts. Psychologists, speech therapists, and art therapists work in the spaces. Our staff constantly undergo training to ensure that services are high-quality, safe, and child-focused,” – says Olena Khvatynets, regional project coordinator in Kharkiv.
Ivan's story is about how small actions grow into big dreams. As a schoolboy, he helped displaced people from Donetsk and Luhansk regions—collecting sweet gifts for children, writing motivational notes, and joining volunteer initiatives. Back then, he had no idea that this help would be the beginning of a long journey.
Regional Coordinator of the NGO “Responsible Citizens” Alla Maslakhova joined a training dedicated to the implementation of the Strategy to Ensure Every Child’s Right in Ukraine to Grow Up in a Family Environment.
The program is implemented by the NGO “Responsible Citizens” within the JERU partnership – Joint Emergency Response in Ukraine, a joint initiative of the international organizations Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, with financial support from UHF.
In a Child-Friendly Space in Kharkiv region, sessions under the “TEAM UP” programme are launching. TEAM UP is a body-oriented group psychosocial support programme for children aged 6 to 18. The programme was designed for implementation in wartime and post-conflict settings. It is grounded in practical experience and delivered through movement, play, and interaction.
Responsible Citizens NGO has joined the Civil Society Collaboration Platform for the Best Interests of the Child — a space for cooperation between international, national and local organizations established to implement the Strategy to Ensure Every Child’s Right to Grow Up in a Family Environment in Ukraine (2024–2028).
Special attention was given to supporting children's affairs services. The training helped specialists better understand the behavioral patterns of children in crisis and establish effective communication with parents who welcome children into their families.
To help people find their place in these new conditions, the LIVES 3.0 project, implemented by "Responsible Citizens" in partnership with Mercy Corps and supported by the UK government, organized a series of training sessions.
“I will gain experience and open a family-type children’s home. This is my dream,” says Ivan, a social worker from Kryvyi Rih.
Training as a Tool for Change: Implementing the Strategy to Support Children in Communities
A working meeting held in the Shevchenkivska community as part of the mini-grant competition for initiative groups in Kharkiv region
Classes under the TEAM UP Programme Launch in a Child-Friendly Space in Kharkiv Region
Aid delivered to Donetsk Oblast
Over 100 organizations unite for child-centered change
Completion of the training cycle by “Responsible Citizens” and UNICEF
“Job readiness training: How the LIVES 3.0 project supported the unemployed