Kyiv/Osnabrück, June 5, 2024 - On the occasion of the upcoming conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine on June 11/12 in Berlin, the children's rights organization terre des hommes points out that the well-being of children and young people must be the top priority when investing in the future of Ukraine.
“I dream that I can sleep peacefully”; “I dream that my dad is doing well in heaven”; “I dream that you never have to go down to the basement at school again” – these and other dreams were formulated by children and young people in a project by the Ukrainian partner organization “Voices of Children”, which is supported by terre des hommes .
A delegation from terre des hommes has just returned from a project trip to Ukraine. “Currently, the attacks on Kharkiv dominate the discourse. At the same time, we are hearing from our partners on the ground how urgently necessary it is to invest massively in the future of children and young people. While everyone is talking about weapons, international support for children and young people must not slacken, because children in war are constantly exposed to stress and are often separated from or even lose family members and friends. Attending school normally is impossible. All of this has a massive impact on their health,” says Thomas Berthold, Regional Coordinator for Europe at terre des hommes after returning from Kyiv.
“There is a lack of sufficient psychosocial support services for children and young people in Ukraine. Many children feel alone and isolated while simultaneously experiencing the war. Therefore, more investment in psychosocial support for traumatized children and young people, and especially in the training of qualified professionals, is urgently needed. We operate 14 children's centers in various regions of Ukraine and are familiar with the current situation. We cannot afford to lose this generation,” says Olena Rozvadovska, CEO and co-founder of Voices of Children.
In Ukraine terre des hommes works with numerous local partner organizations that are committed to improving the situation of children and young people growing up in war.
Contact: Thomas Berthold, t.berthold@ tdh.de , mobile 0171-4448064.
Further information on the projects of terre des hommes Germany in Ukraine: Aid for children in Ukraine (tdh.de)
Other dreams formulated by children in the "Voices of Children" project: Voices of Children launched the "Children's Dream" campaign