Dorcas Ukraine partners with government programme to promote children’s mental health

Dorcas Ukraine has teamed up with the all-Ukrainian mental health programme “How are U?” to promote children’s mental health within the education system. This initiative, led by Oksana, MHPSS Project Manager at Dorcas Ukraine, and Tayisiya, Regional Coordinator for “How are U?”, has successfully integrated the Connect Dorcas programme into schools.

In April and May, the final months of the last school year, almost 500 hours of teaching were devoted to the programme. The initiative received an enthusiastic response from the academic community and positive feedback from students, parents, teachers and school psychologists. This success led to the incorporation of the Connect programme into summer health camps, where over 100 children from Kyiv participated in group sessions, gaining support and increased awareness of mental health.

Oksana, Dorcas Facilitator and Deputy Director of Lyceum 11 in Mukachevo, highlights: “Teenagers need a lot of support, understanding and help to manage their emotions. I was impressed by their willingness to engage, with many students joining on their own and asking to join existing groups. We set up new groups and ran regular sessions, which made a noticeable difference to the classroom environment. Both teachers and students noticed these positive changes. From the simple question ‘How are you?’, a new chapter of empathetic and tolerant relationships has developed”. Her comments were made during a presentation of the “How are you?” programme at a regional working group meeting in Uzhhorod, attended by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

10 September 2024