The Path to Independence: A Reintegration Story

Last year, specialists from the Ukrainian Child Rights Network received a request for support from a young mother who had left an occupied village in the Kherson region. She was with her three-year-old child and found herself in difficult circumstances: she was renting accommodation, while her social benefits were not enough even to cover food and water.

“We conducted a needs assessment and, together with our partners, began working with her,” says Natalia Humeniuk, a case manager at UCRN. “At first, it was important to build trust and show her that the support was real and that there were people nearby she could rely on.”

As part of the project “Supporting the Reintegration of Children Returning to Ukraine”, the woman was supported by a multidisciplinary team from the NGO “League of Social Workers of Ukraine”, in cooperation with specialists from the local centre. A case manager, psychologist, and social educator helped address her basic needs, including food, housing, clothing, and obtaining the necessary documents. The specialists also provided consultations and training to strengthen her parenting capacity and help her develop independent living skills.

The support was provided within the project “Supporting the Reintegration of Children Returning to Ukraine”. This assistance is part of the reintegration component of the President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative and is implemented in cooperation with Ukrainian civil society organizations and international partners.

“They helped her enrol her child in kindergarten,” Natalia adds. “The woman registered with the employment centre. This is about socialization and becoming part of the community. She restored her relationship with her older sister and started communicating with her mother again.”

Today, she is gradually managing life’s challenges independently, has regained her inner resources, and is making plans for the future.

“It was her conscious decision to start living without ongoing support from specialists,” Natalia says. “She said: if I constantly rely only on outside help, I will never learn to organize my life independently. At the same time, she knows who to turn to if she needs support. Most importantly, she is no longer afraid to ask for help. In my view, this is what successful reintegration looks like.”

The project “Strengthening Comprehensive Reintegration Support for Returning Children” is implemented as part of the reintegration component of the President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, in partnership with the Coordination Center for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development. It is implemented by a consortium consisting of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health, the League of Social Workers of Ukraine, Save Ukraine, and Voices of Children, with the support of UNICEF and funding from Canada, Norway, and the United States.