Psychological Rehabilitation Program Supported by World Orphan Fund and Diamondback Energy: 10 Months of Support for Families Affected by the War

The Children of Heroes Charity Fund is summarizing the results of a 10-month psychological rehabilitation program, implemented with the support of the World Orphan Fund and its partner, Diamondback Energy. Running from December 2023 to September 2024, the program provided comprehensive psychological assistance to over a thousand Ukrainian families who lost loved ones due to the war.

Over 9,000 Consultations for Families Supported by the Children of Heroes Charity Fund

During the program’s implementation:

• 1,079 families received assistance, amounting to a total of 9,515 individual consultations.
• Support was provided to 335 children, helping them cope with loss and find resources to move forward in life.
• Additionally, 322 guardians sought help, receiving 1,668 individual consultations to find the strength to support both the children and themselves in challenging circumstances.

The program also included group sessions, totaling 120 for various groups, including guardians and teenagers. These sessions enabled families to feel peer support and form new social connections, which are critically important for emotional stabilization.

The psychological rehabilitation helped families regain emotional balance, learn to manage anger, guilt, and sadness. The Fund’s psychologists note that regular therapy significantly reduces the risk of complicated grief and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which could otherwise negatively impact the children’s mental health in the future.

Family stories highlight the importance of this support: children who have lost parents begin to reconnect with peers, gradually opening up and overcoming isolation and anxiety. Adults, through therapy, learn to accept their loss, helping them regain stability and preserve the resources needed to support their children.

The program also focused on the most vulnerable groups:

• families with children or guardians with disabilities;
• large families facing difficult financial conditions;
• families experiencing “ambiguous loss,” where the fate of a loved one remains unknown.

Psychological support has become an essential part of the Fund’s assistance, and the program’s results confirm its importance for thousands of Ukrainian families. This collaborative effort not only helps families recover from their losses but also lays the groundwork for their future — in a free and peaceful Ukraine.