February 6, 2025
News
“We fled with my son when the blast wave smashed the windows in the house,” recalls Diana from frontline Kharkiv. Our conversation took place in the town of Berehove in Transcarpathia, far from the war zone. Here, she found housing and a job through support programmes for affected Ukrainians from Caritas Czech Republic. Thanks to the grant, Diana completed training courses in child neuropsychology and dreams of running her own Child development centre.
Volunteering opened a window of opportunity
Like millions of internally displaced people, Diana had to start from scratch. She is a teacher by education, but in her native Kharkiv she did not work in her field, devoting herself entirely to raising her son Maksym. In Berehove, Diana joined the volunteers of a charity foundation to help the affected people.
Her teaching skills were noticed and she was offered a course in social psychology. Initially, Diana conducted art therapy sessions for families from the war zone. Later, she was offered a job at a local children's club that provides pre-school education.
“I became increasingly interested in child neuropsychology, which focuses on the development and maturation of the child's brain, as well as the formation of attention, speech, memory and thinking,” explains Diana.
The head of the children's club supported her desire to advance in this field and procured the necessary equipment for her practice. Meanwhile, Diana was looking for opportunities to deepen her knowledge and skills.
The study grant sparked the desire to own a business
Diana was happy to find out about a mini-grant contest for professional development training from Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine. She chose an educational centre and a course in Child Neuropsychology and applied without hesitation.
“I am grateful for this opportunity and I'm pleasantly surprised by the high level of teaching. The chosen school provides free consultations and assistance even after my graduation,” says Diana.
Today, children not only from Berehove, but also from neighbouring villages come to her for sessions. Through special exercises and techniques, she helps them cope with the effects of war trauma and supports children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech delay, etc.
“Due to the war, the need for qualified neuropsychological diagnostics and support is growing. Separation from relatives, the death of a parent at the front, daily air alarms - all this affects children's mental health. But there are no specialists in Berehove or in the neighbouring villages,” says Diana, adding that she has found herself and her purpose through her training.
“When I see the results and hear positive news from the parents, I feel that I am doing an important job. I want to grow further and dream of opening my own Child development centre,” says Diana.
Cash for work is an essential support for internally displaced people
During her training, Diana, along with 40 other internally displaced people from the war zone and frontline areas, took part in the “Cash for Work” initiative of the Western Office of Caritas Czech Republic. This programme enables affected Ukrainians to collaborate in improving living conditions in the dormitories and collective centres we renovate for them. By helping us with cleaning and simple work, people earn a substantial part-time income.
“This has become a tangible financial support for me,” says Diana. She helped with the repair of the Beregove Lyceum of Services dormitory, which will soon accommodate nearly 200 affected Ukrainians.
“Many of those who joined me in the renovation are internally displaced people nearing retirement age who are hesitant to take on formal employment. This programme is extremely important for them. It also helps mothers with small children who are unable to get a full-time job and are seeking part-time income,” Diana summarises.
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine
Caritas Czech Republic has been helping people in Ukraine since the beginning of the war. In addition to providing much needed humanitarian aid, we provide shelter to internally displaced people in modular houses in western Ukraine. We are also improving living conditions in dormitories.
In western Ukraine, we support Ukrainians who have decided to stand on their own feet after evacuating from the war zone. Through minigrants, we support the restoration of livelihoods for people in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and the Transcarpathian region. The aim is to help people affected by the war to rebuild their income sources, develop a career or start their own business.
In eastern Ukraine, we improve the accessibility and quality of rehabilitation and reproductive medicine by modernising hospitals and educating staff. In the South, we restorе water supply, insulate homes, and provide firewood for heating in frontline villages.
We are grateful to everyone who keeps helping with us!
