A quarter of Ukraine’s population—about 10 million people—have been exposed to risks and experiences that could negatively impact their mental health. People who live and work on the frontlines of the conflict, including humanitarian workers, health workers, and community members are particularly at risk.
The village of Ivanivka, close to the front line in the Kharkiv region, was regularly bombed for months at the start of the conflict. Many people were killed and left buried in rubble. Homes were destroyed, forcing most of the inhabitants to flee to other parts of the country. In the summer of 2023, several residents returned, homesick for their town and seeking stability.
Ivanivka is littered with missiles, and white strips still coat the ground—explosive residues of war. The toxic remnants have prevented any agricultural production and pose an immediate threat to the population, particularly children. Almost a third of Ukraine is covered by mines and unexploded shells.
“Access to this region has always been difficult, especially considering our proximity to the border with Russia,” says Marie Lamonthe, Field Coordinator in Kharkiv. “We can be reached by an artillery strike in less than 45 seconds, which means we have to operate in a highly unpredictable environment.”
Surrounded by the reminders of war, families in Ivanivka are facing an escalated mental health crisis. Most are unemployed and cannot return to work or regular life. Action Against Hunger is one of the few humanitarian organizations in the area, and provides both financial assistance and mental health support.
Every month, we reach around 250 people in Ivanivka affected by mental health challenges. Many are traumatized by the war and need immediate psychological care. In our mental health support sessions, around 15 people are led in a group discussion by a psychologist and a psychosocial worker. People of all ages—especially children, people with disabilities, and the elderly—learn techniques to reduce anxiety and to deal with negative emotions.
Last year, Nadiya was forced to leave Ivanivka for Chernivtsi for four months with her daughter and granddaughters. In one of the many violent strikes on her hometown, one of her cows were killed.
“It was very painful,” she says. “When we were got back, we set about repairing the roof. There were no windows and my parents’ house was completely destroyed.”
Nadiya has still been unable to install windows or repair her house. She covered the windows with plastic film and tape and says that’s how she survived the winter. She and her husband are both unemployed. Action Against Hunger works with Nadiya to provide her family with financial assistance and mental health support.
“I am glad I came here today, opened up and talked,” she says about Action Against Hunger’s mental health program. “We need more psychological support sessions. It is great that we can share our pain during these therapy sessions.”
Valentyna used to work the land with her husband, but now the land in Ivanivka is littered with land mines. She experiences a lot of stress, fear, and uncertainty without steady employment. She fled to the Dnipro region with her family when Ivanivka was bombed, and recently returned—only to find very little was left.
“Our house was badly damaged by a bomb that fell in our yard,” she says. “Everything was destroyed. We simply covered the windows with plywood. It was very cold. I don’t know how we survived the winter.”
Valentyna has been traumatized by some of the things she has witnessed during the war. A 12-year-old boy was killed by a bomb not far from her home. “That was very hard to live with,” she says. “The fact that psychologists come to see us here is very helpful, because going through all this is very difficult.”
Natalia, a librarian in Ivanivka, says that the war has left most of her community in constant fear. “These sessions have helped me and I feel better,” she says. “They have helped me to relax and get away from the psychological trauma. I recommend it to everyone, because our village has been through war. Some people are frightened by the slightest everyday noise. The sound of a gate opening or a car driving by.”
Her two children are in their twenties now, and she is worried about the war’s future effects on her grandchildren. “People are afraid,” she says. “I don’t want our grandchildren to see that. This war, all this fear, all this pain.”
In conflicts, children are often most at-risk. Many will face trauma and psychological issues for years to come. Today in Ukraine, many children have nowhere to go, especially with 3,790 educational facilities damaged or destroyed since the conflict began.
In a refugee center on the outskirts of Dnipro, Action Against Hunger provides mental support for children and adolescents who cannot return home due to the war. In group therapy sessions, they receive emotional support, learn about coping mechanisms, and gain a sense of stability and hope.
Svitlana, an Action Against Hunger Psychosocial Worker, started studying psychology three years ago to support her child. When the conflict broke out, she knew she wanted to help on a larger scale. Today, she specializes in crisis psychology and helps displaced young people in Dnipro, working in small groups.
“The first sessions with the children are aimed at stabilizing them,” she says. “We teach them to breathe and relax. After that, our sessions are based on the distress protocol. We work mainly with children who have left the Donetsk or Luhansk region. They have either left because of bombing, injury, or the loss of loved ones.”
Svitalana says she is also in therapy in order to stay stable and focused herself.
13-year-old Ilia lives at a refugee center. He left behind his two grandmothers in Chasiv Yar and traveled to Dnipro with his mother. “One day, I went into the living room to take some food to my elderly grandmother,” says Ilia. “A shell passed right over the fence. All the windows in the hall exploded. I was shaking. I looked at my grandmother sitting there and she looked at me too. She went on eating and I was stunned.”
Maksim, 15, also fled his home with his grandmother, leaving behind his father in Kostiantynivka. His father used to visit him in the refugee center, but he hasn’t seen him in a long time.
Ilia and Maksim are grateful for therapy sessions. They say that psychologists have helped to relieve stress and improve their self-esteem. Therapy has had a “transformative effect,” says Maksim.
“A week before we left, there was a lot of bombing,” Maksim says. “One day, I was in the park, but there was a kindergarten nearby. They say soldiers lived there, but it was the park that was bombed.”
Maksim says that the shell landed only five yards away. “I was sitting on a bench with a friend and was hit by all the wind, stones, and dust. I covered my friend to protect him and now I have two wounds on my legs. It’s a miracle we survived. At that moment, I realized how much I wanted to live.”
