Vadym's story: institutional experience, constant relocations, unfamiliar places...
At three in the morning, Vadym woke up to loud noises. Again. He covered his ears with his hands, pressed his knees to his chin, and waited. He is ten years old. And he already knows very well: after the siren, there is an explosion.
Vadym came to live with Olena and Oleksii's family a year ago. Behind him lay institutional experience, constant moves, unfamiliar places.
Now Vadym has a place he calls home, his own bookshelf, and foster parents who wish him good night every evening.
But when the massive shelling of Odesa began, his pent-up anxiety burst out. The sounds of explosions and sirens became a trigger that returned his body to a state of tension: panic attacks, sleepless nights, tremors.
Olena and Oleksii saw their child suffering and didn't know how to help. When the family learned about the Family Care Hub for Children and Families with Children at the Odesa City Council Social Services Center, they decided to turn to the specialists.
Our team welcomed the family without asking any unnecessary questions. The first sessions were simple — playing with sand, drawing, breathing exercises. No coercion, no rush. Just a safe space where they could be themselves.
At the same time, the Hub's specialists also supported the foster parents. They were taught to recognize traumatic reactions, talk to the child during anxiety, and not panic. Together, they came up with home safety rituals. When the siren sounds, the family now gathers together in the hallway. Oleksii turns on the family's favorite cartoon, Olena makes hot tea, and Vadym takes his “anti-stress” toy — a small toy that can be squeezed in his hands. They count their breaths together: inhale for four, exhale for six.It sounds simple, but for a child who has had nothing stable for years, these actions have become an anchor.
Even in the realities of war, a child should not be left alone with their fear. Over time, Vadym's anxiety became less intense. The child learned to recognize his condition and his feelings and gradually mastered self-calming with the support of adults. His sleep became calmer, his reactions milder, and the family developed its own rituals of safety and support.___________________
The project "Resilient Families, Resilient Future: Transforming the Child Care System in Odesa and Mykolaiv Regions" is being implemented by the ICF 'Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health' (UFPH) in partnership with the Odesa Regional Organization of Medical, Psychological, and Pedagogical Assistance "Healthy Society," with UNICEF Ukraine with the financial support of Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) through the development bank KfW.
