Being a rock for others amid constant shelling and human suffering. This is the daily reality for social workers in the Zaporizhzhia region.
At the end of last week, together with psychologists from the “Proliska” humanitarian mission, we held a training session in Zaporizhzhia dedicated to combating professional burnout. It was two days of sincerity, practical exercises, and emotional recovery for the region’s social protection specialists.
Over these two days, the participants learned anew how to “recharge their batteries” and find their own balance. Most importantly, people finally allowed themselves to “feel.”
“Summing up the training, it’s hard to hold back emotions, because over these two days, the participants lived a whole lifetime: they cried and laughed at the same time. Particularly memorable were the words of Ms. Inesa, a social worker at the Social Services Center of the Novooleksandrivka community, who spoke candidly about the immense pressure and daily work under constant shelling. For these professionals, who are used to being a rock for others, this event was almost the first time they allowed themselves to simply be human and finally let their emotions out. “The training participants admitted that all the exercises were extremely useful, and they will definitely use these techniques in their future work,” noted Angelina Ovcharova, the project’s regional coordinator in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
We are implementing these initiatives through the project “Supporting the Capacity of State Institutions and Local Communities to Strengthen the Social Protection System in Ukraine,” which is being carried out with the support of the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).