Building up hope for children with disabilities in Ukraine

Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable during times of war. They must endure constant challenges, displacement and emotional stress, while needing access to quality rehabilitation and disability support. This has been a difficult reality for many families living through the Russo-Ukrainian war.

In partnership with Save Ukraine, we were able to build and operate a community centre for children with disabilities in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Donations helped us equip our centre with compassionate professionals to care for each child with patience, expertise, and love. The team included psychologists, therapists and other specialized healthcare professionals. 

The program also involved the creation of personal development plans for the children, addressing their specific needs and challenges. Support included various therapeutic sessions, adaptive learning techniques, psychological counselling, and social activities that enabled them to interact with each other develop new skills.

The children who have been fortunate enough to join the centre have been making incredible progress. 

One deaf-mute boy could not speak at all. After a year of rehabilitation at our centre, he said his first words at eight years old. 

A five-year-old girl was very shy and scared after hiding in her yard for three years because of the war. Now she is the confident leader of her group at the daycare centre. 

A 12-year-old girl used to struggle to take even a small step. Today, she can walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes and is getting ready to try her first jumps. 

For some families, this centre is the only place where their child can receive the care they need. In addition to supporting the children, this centre also provides counselling and guidance for their families.

Thanks to our donors we’ve been able to support more than 100 individuals with disabilities through this centre (80 children and 27 adults) as well as their families. 

With your donations, we can support more children through personalized development plans and trauma-informed therapies. Funding also helps us conduct wider public outreach to promote our projects and increase support for such a vulnerable group of children during the war.

“Dear amazing team at Humaniti, on behalf of all of us at Save Ukraine, and especially the children with disabilities and their families at our daycare centre in Bucha area. I want to say a heartfelt thank you. Here, children find more than therapy, they find a community and belonging; a safe and inclusive space to learn, grow, play, and simply be themselves without fear or judgement. Thank you for being part of their journey. It is healed and resilient children that humanity needs the most now.” CEO, Save Ukraine