Living Through the Unthinkable: Supporting Children and Families during Russia’s War with Ukraine

March 2, 2023

Living Through the Unthinkable: Supporting Children and Families during Russia’s War with Ukraine

Event Series: Children in a World of Challenges Workshop Series

A Ukrainian mother holds her baby behind a fence

This workshop centered the experiences of children and the mental health professionals, community-based organizations, and grassroots volunteer groups who have been supporting them since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. Participants explored the challenges children, youth, and families face during an ongoing, full-scale war, as well as the efforts that have been put into place by community-based organizations and volunteer groups to support and empower them and bring back much needed normalcy into their lives. Presentations were followed by an interactive discussion.

This event was co-sponsored by the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues; Walsh School of Foreign Service; Center for Child and Human Development; Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service; Global Human Development Program; Global Health Institute; and Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University. It is part of the Children in a World of Challenges Workshop series.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Mirek Pruchiniski

Related Event | "War in Ukraine: Societal Transformation, Peace and Reconciliation, Post-War Reconstruction," March 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Participants

Kateryna Zoubak

Kateryna Zoubak co-leads humanitarian aid and mental health programs as a volunteer with United Help Ukraine, a diaspora-run nonprofit organization. In addition to her volunteer work, Zoubak has supported the implementation of early childhood and mental health-focused programs at the federal level for over 10 years. She is currently a social science analyst and project officer with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), where she supports early childhood systems innovation and transformation. She is a fellow with Zero to Three.

Liza Yanovich

Liza Yanovich is the director of learning and evaluation with Global Fund for Children (GFC). Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Yanovich has been supporting the GFC team in mobilizing relief efforts to support existing and new grassroots organizations in Ukraine that are working to keep children and young people safe. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, GFC has approved 108 emergency grants totaling more than $2.5 million to support 67 community-based organizations that are helping children and families under attack and refugees fleeing the country.

Alla Levin

Alla Levin co-leads mental health programs as a volunteer with United Help Ukraine, a Ukrainian diaspora-led nonprofit organization. Levin was born in Donetsk, Ukraine, and her family was personally affected by the first Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Since then, Levin’s primary driving force has been to support Ukrainian children affected by war. In addition to her role with United Help Ukraine, Levin currently works as a senior project coordinator at the National Education Association (NEA) in Washington, DC.