My Friend - New program for Ukraine children
The war in Ukraine is still ongoing. More than a thousand days have passed by. To help children that are affected by the war, Terre des Hommes started a new pilot in Ukraine and Moldova: My Friend.
Reducing stress
My Friend is a mental health and psychosocial support initiative that blends elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion-focused therapy. This program equips participants with both physical and mental strategies for recognising emotions, understanding stress levels, and effectively reducing stress.
Ukraine and Moldova
The program includes 12 group sessions tailored for children aged 5 to 7 and their caregivers. Within this pilot we are aiming at 20 children in Ukraine and 20 in Moldova and a same number of caregivers. In Ukraine, over half of the participants are internally displaced persons from frontline areas affected by military operations. In Moldova, the majority of participants are children from Ukraine along with their caregivers.
Lando the hare
Through their participation, both children and caregivers develop emotional awareness and learn several coping strategies to manage distress. Storytelling is a central feature in this program, with Lando the hare as the main character guiding the narrative. In each new session Lando encounters a new obstacle of a situation that he has to overcome.
Successful program
The My Friend program has been developed by Help a Child and is based on the successful BOB program, a co-production of Help a Child and TNO, developed in 2020 with funding from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through the Dutch Relief Alliance). (Variants of) This program has proven successful in diverse contexts, such as India and South Sudan. This pilot, sponsored by Giro555, represents its first rollout in Europe. In partnership with organisations in Moldova (CNPAC) and Ukraine (Sincere Heart Foundation), we will pilot the intervention over three months starting November 1st. The first pilot session in Ukraine was highly successful, with many caregivers noting their difficulty in discussing emotions and recognising that this program would be advantageous for both themselves and their children.