Restore CHildhoods Disrupted By War

The floors of her home are littered with trash, the uninsulated windows have let the cold inside the room, the smell is not of home-cooking, but of soiled diapers, unwashed dishes, blankets reeking of mildew and empty liquor bottles. Adding to this sad picture, is the sound of constant air sirens, the blaring alarm that penetrates sleep and shatters any kind of quiet.The Russian enemy is close, the alarm screams. Go into hiding!

Yulia felt scared, cold and hungry. But there was light. Yulia was found by our partners who invited her in to a community center supported by Novi. Here was a welcoming place run by motivated and caring adults who fed her, listened to her and introduced her to other children. Yulia feels warm when she is at the community center. This is not just because the generator runs, warming the place. It is also because she feels safe and loved.

He comes running towards us, embraces us and said he has missed us. He speaks almost fluent English and wants to show us his latest accomplishment on the computer game he has been playing. Ten-year-old Denys lives in a temporary shelter close to Kyiv. Here he lives with his mom, his little sister and about 70 other refugees in temporary housing. The days are dull. The space is crammed. The food they eat is bland. Denys struggles with depression says our staff member who goes to visit him as often as he can. He misses his friends, his home, his school, and the freedom he had to move around outside.

A bomb exploded close to Denys’ home in the East of Ukraine. The shrapnel flew close to his head. It was after hiding in their basement for a week that his mother decided she needed to take the children to a safer place, away from the bombs. Denys feels happy when he can play with others. He comes alive when Novi staff spend time with him and he engages in the activities of emotional regulation he’s learning to employ.

The other children try to ignore him, but he won’t let them. His voice is forceful, just like his large body. He is 12, restless and loud. If the other kids are playing well, his tendency is to disrupt them, push, destroy or take their toys. He is an orphan, living with 60 other children in an orphanage. Since coming here, he has learned that the only way to get attention is to be a rowdy bully. So, he is often alone. The other children don’t want to play with him. He makes the caregivers exasperated.

But inside the rough exterior is a soft and kind little boy who just wants to be loved and accepted. When Novi staff approaches him with kind and patient words, he softens. Soon he wants to hold hands. Stand close, show his phone, his silly drawing and how he can do a somersault. He sits with one of the adults who have been trained in trauma and stress intervention. Between them is a bag of toys. He empties the bag and through the toys he tells her his story. It is a sad story, but hopeful too, because as he tells it, he learns to regulate and reconcile with his strong emotions.