Losing one’s home, property, one’s favorite things or the opportunity to come back to familiar places is always a scary prospect. A more petrifying feeling would be losing one’s nearest and dearest. War lays waste not only to houses, but also to families.
In our piece we are telling the story of the charitable foundation ‚Children of Heroes‘ which takes care of children who have lost their parents in the war. Read about how to get help, how and where to apply for it in our article.
How it all started
The foundation was launched in the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of its co-founders, Danyil Pas’ko, decided to concentrate his efforts on helping those children who have lost their parents in war, which may be explained by his personal story – Danyil lost his father at an early age. He knows very well what it takes to be in need of help. It is for this reason that he is providing this support now.
The foundation’s team is helping the affected children to not only cover their current needs, but are also planning to do so until they reach adulthood. According to the foundation’s plan, even after the children turn 18 they are going to be assisted in obtaining higher education or job search.
‚Today’s children are future members of Ukrainian and world’s society who will be shaping their country’s future. It is of paramount importance to support them now and provide them with opportunities for normal development and education. That is why the activities of our foundation are different in terms of their long-term focus’, Danyil Pas’ko, co-founder of the foundation ‚Children of Heroes‘, says.
On its page on Instagram the foundation covers its activities, sharing pieces of advice and options for cooperation.
How the foundation works
In order to be efficient in helping many families the foundation employs a person they refer to as ‘helper’ for each child whose task is to be constantly in touch with children and their caregivers, examining their needs and finding ways for help and other assistance opportunities.
‚When it comes to searching for helpers we are guided by three criteria: basic knowledge of psychology, self-regulation skills and the ability to find solutions to difficult issues, since these people are going to work with those who have been grief-stricken. We conduct training for them so that they can polish off their skills. However, the knowledge of psychology is mandatory. Self-regulation is also important since a helper is supposed to control themselves and recharge their batteries on their own (our helpers are also offered the opportunity to avail themselves of the services of a therapist).
Sometimes we receive requests that could not have been predicted. And in this case it is important to react correctly and in time. Therefore, a helper has to find solutions in difficult circumstances’, Hanna Khomenko, co-founder of the foundation ‚Children of Heroes‘ and head of the department for work with families, says.
First of all a helper has to organize the evacuation from danger zones (if needed), help find shelter, food, clothes and money. Also, a child may be ordered a physical check-up, offered emergency medical aid or a therapy session.
Work with a therapist is an important component of aid provided for children who have lost one or both parents.
For children under 14 the algorithm of their interaction with a therapist looks like this:
- Caregiver meets therapist;
- Caregiver and child meet therapist;
- Separate sessions held by therapist with caregiver and child.
Children over 14 see a therapist individually. Also, group sessions for kids of different ages and for adults are possible. Currently, the topics of such sessions are: how one can cope with anxiety and nervousness; how to talk about death; how to handle stress.
The foundation also deals with long-term assistance for children. They may receive necessary legal assistance and a helper can assist them in finding a new place of study, searching for opportunities to learn languages and developing their skills.
To have the opportunity to help lots of families the employees of the foundation involve partners and raise funds from those not indifferent.
‚From the outset the foundation has been supported by the personal finances of its co-founders. Eventually, partners and donors have come to our rescue, including such brands as ‚Bank Pivdennyi‘. ‚Intertop‘, ‚Biosfera‘, ‚Kyivstar‘, “Edinstvo Group”, “Preply”, “Capital Times” and others. Presently, the foundation is working on attracting international donors and launching a platform for receiving donations from across the world’, Danyil Pas’ko says.
As of now the team numbers 30 people with 20 of them being helpers who work with children directly. Apart from that, the foundation also has departments for fundraising, marketing and communications. A digital department and an administrative department are also there. Everyone is working remotely since its team members live in different regions of Ukraine and abroad.
‚We communicate a lot with international charity consultants to be able to understand not only Ukrainian, but also world trends as our foundation has set ambitious goals and plans in terms of expanding our geography of fundraising’, says Danyil Pas’ko.
Achievements so far
As of the end of June 2022 the foundation was working with 372 children. Over 300 of them are already working with helpers who are taking care of their ID documents.
Behind every figure there is a personality, a child who is in need of support. There is a child who has been forced to go through a terrible experience of war. There is pain that they have had to endure. However, there is hope that a bright future awaits them because the children of heroes are heroes themselves.
‚We are happy for the success that these children are achieving. For example, we have managed to organize the educational process of one of our children (who has lost his father) at an American military academy. The 15-year-old boy is flying to the USA together with his mom in August. The best reward that we can get is small and big victories of our kids, the smiles on their faces. Children have to enjoy life, learn, have fun, be happy about the little things, feel protection and support.
The children with whom we are working have experienced lots of grief, which is hard to take even for an adult. That is why our mission is to help them live through the loss of the members of their families in order to fulfill their potential and become the best representatives of the Ukrainian nation in the world community’, Danyil Pas’ko says.
How you can get help:
- An online form. After you fill it out, you will be contacted within the next 24 hours;
- +38044 247 57 88 — the hotline number of the foundation;
- [email protected] — the email address of the foundation.
How you can help:
- financially —you can make a one-time donation or donate regularly. Different methods of donations are possible. You can make a donation even in cryptocurrency;
- By covering other non-material needs of children. You can fill out the relevant form online;
- By becoming one of the foundation’s volunteers — there is plenty of work with the foundation for anyone willing to help.
