Ukraine: Voices of Ukrainian mothers who left home due to the war
The Danish Refugee Council conducted psychosocial support training for over 100 single mothers in western Ukraine. The sessions focused on emotional awareness, stress management, positive parenting practices, conflict resolution techniques, and prevention of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence. As a final exercise, the participants shared their stories, which were collected in a booklet.
More than just a psychosocial support
After the final session of psychosocial support for the mothers, other DRC programmes were presented to the women, including, for example:
- Registration for financial support or hygiene and clothing kits for their young children ;
- Individual Protection Assistance;
- Individual legal consultations, for example, on topics related to access to social benefits, employment, etc.
This integrated approach allowed DRC to provide them with more comprehensive assistance. Also, after the psychological support sessions, closed chats on social media were created to ensure continuous communication between the mothers. This helped the participants to continue communication and become a "circle of support" for each other.
The organisation and implementation of the psychological support sessions were made possible by funding from the Ole Kirk’s Fond.