HugME is a project of comprehensive support for families raising children with mental disabilities in Kharkiv. The program aims to create a safe and supportive environment in which children and their parents can learn, develop, communicate, and restore their emotional and psychological state.
Start of the project: January 2023
Donors: Regione Emilia Romagna, Crown Agents in Ukraine, German Marshall Fund, Renovabis, Pulte Family Foundation, USCCB, Charitable Organization “Caritas Kharkiv”
Partners: Fizio Center, UMAX Jewelry Factory, Charitable Organization “Caritas Kharkiv Charitable Foundation”, Charitable Organization “Parallelni Svity”
Main areas of activity
Psychological support for children
A program of individual and group sessions with a neuropsychologist aimed at comprehensively strengthening cognitive skills, such as emotional expression, speech, thinking, coordination, and conscious self-regulation
Basic educational support
A program that enables children and young people with mental disabilities to learn thinking, reading, writing, and arithmetic skills under the guidance of a speech and language pathologist
Speech therapy support
A program of individual courses aimed at improving communication and speech skills, developing self-control, self-regulation, and emotional state of children and youth with mental disabilities
Social and domestic adaptation
A program of weekly workshops to develop basic household skills, self-care, and group interaction
Creative and body therapy
A program for the development of emotional intelligence, creativity, and self-expression through art, drawing, and body exercises
Physical rehabilitation
A program of specialized physical rehabilitation individually designed for our beneficiaries by FIZIO Center specialists. Each course is designed to improve the overall physical condition of our boys and girls, improve mobility, coordination, and physical interaction with space
Socialization
Regular socializing events for children and their parents to build friendly and supportive relationships between program participants
Psychological support for parents
Group psychological sessions aimed at creating a supportive and safe environment for parents, to restore resources to overcome the challenges they face in raising children with disabilities in such critical circumstances
Picnics and summer camps
Picnics and summer camps provide an opportunity for children and young people with mental disabilities to enjoy active recreation, socializing, and entertainment, contributing to their overall development and socialization in a safer environment
“We stayed in the village for a year and a half after the full-scale invasion. There, Denys had minimal communication with people. When I returned to Kharkiv, I started looking for places where we could go with him. I wanted him to socialize with young people. At the same time, I was worried about my son. How would he feel and behave in the new environment? After all, the other children already knew each other and their team was already formed. But everything went great. He became a part of the community, a part of society. I am very glad that we came to Emmaus. This place gives me hope.”
After the start of the full-scale war, our organization began cooperation with the AVSI Foundation to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the affected residents of the eastern regions of Ukraine, primarily the Kharkiv region. Along with large-scale distribution projects, our team was looking for opportunities to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable categories of citizens.
We asked the Kharkiv City Council to provide a list of families raising children with disabilities who continue to live in Kharkiv despite the constant shelling and hostilities. The Municipality of the Emilia Romagna Region (Italy) provided financial support that allowed us to provide 60 vulnerable families with necessities for 6 months: food, medicine, and household items.
Our team analyzed the needs of the families and initiated the development of a comprehensive support program that would meet the main need – the desire of children and their parents to communicate, learn, and develop with friends. In a short time, we managed to collect requests, find and involve specialists in the team, secure and prepare the premises as much as possible, and the program started in the spring of 2023.
