


Terry Cullen
May 2, 2023
Moldova
Categories:
Children, War, Trauma, Art, Therapy, Refugees
The war in Ukraine is tragic, displacing 7.5 million people. Consider that is the equivalent of displacing the entire population of Chennai, India, Hong Kong, China, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or most of New York City, USA, or London, UK. (citymayors.com)
War and displacement create tremendous physical, mental, and emotional damage; no group is affected more than children. Children cannot comprehend the war trauma, and they experience intense fear, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as sleeplessness, headaches, and stomach problems. These children do not behave like normal children, such as playing. These children often cry excessively, refuse to eat, will not interact with other children, and only communicate with their parents. If not treated, this post-traumatic stress can last with them throughout their lives, affecting future generations.
Communitas, a World Vision local partner in neighboring Moldova, a receiving zone for many Ukrainian refugees, operates a community center that provides refugee services in Chisinau. Tatiana Orkhov is a clinical psychologist at the facility, and she runs an art therapy program for children. Thirty children ages 3 to 15 years meet weekly in a group session. Children have multiple mediums to express their feelings in art, such as drawing. The clinical psychologist gives the children a feeling to work within their art. The children then create artwork with that feeling, such as happiness, and each explains what they made and why to the group. One girl sculpted her favorite food from plasticine clay, and another used watercolors to draw the home they left.
The art therapy program teaches children to identify their emotions and to discuss them with others. Orkhov explains that before you can help children heal, you must first provide a safe, loving, and supportive environment for the children, even when their parents are not present.
We see the horrors of war too often and may become numb to the onslaught of news. Yet trapped in the terror of it all are children with little understanding or escape.
What can you do in your local community to make a difference? Consider supporting organizations providing humanitarian services to children and families in war-torn areas worldwide, such as Ukraine and Syria. (Important note: Before donating money, always research the organizations to determine their legitimacy. Guidestar is an excellent example of an organization that reports on charities worldwide. Visit https://www.guidestar.org/ for more information.)
Pause and ask yourself who are the forgotten children in your local community. What is the overall condition for children where you live? Extreme poverty, hunger, broken homes, orphaned children, homelessness, and lack of medical care or schooling. You may be surprised by what you find.
Here are some suggestions to make a lasting and positive difference in the lives of children in your hometown provided by Bizfluent.com:
1. Find youth-serving organizations and learn about the conditions and needs of children. Schools, community centers, libraries, faith-based organizations, child welfare and other social service agencies, and juvenile justice are good places to start.
2. Volunteer at one or more of these organizations and work hands-on with children. Get your friends, family, and neighbors involved.
3. Donate money, and start a fundraiser.
4. Volunteer your professional experience. Your skill set in the workplace can be valuable in the nonprofit world.
5. Start your own organization. One example is to start a nonprofit that gets people in your community to sponsor an underprivileged child and provide monthly donations to help that child with their needs. Many prominent international humanitarian organizations, such as World Vision, the source of this article, use this type of program. Look at their programs and consider starting a similar one at home.
We all want to have a promising future for our children. Still, if we don’t protect and provide for all children, we recreate the same problems for future generations. Make a difference in the world today with children. You won’t regret it.
Photo by Ahmed akacha on Pexels.
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