Intense, emotional, and highly informative—a training course was held in Mykolaiv for the team behind the project project “Lifesaving response to protection concerns and humanitarian needs of conflict affected people in the South and South-East of Ukraine”.
The event brought together regional teams of project coordinators, psychologists, and lawyers who work daily with internally displaced persons, people affected by war, and people experiencing stress, loss, or acute emotional distress. For two days, our team immersed themselves in an atmosphere of learning, deepening their knowledge, and acquiring new skills and tools necessary for the work of humanitarian workers.
“We understand what people living in frontline areas are going through, what problems they face, and what kind of help they need. Therefore, our task is to prepare the team as much as possible to provide people with high-quality assistance, adhering to the humanitarian principles and policies of the Foundation,” – says project manager Anna Nikolenko-Baeva.
As part of the project, mobile teams consisting of two psychologists and a lawyer will work in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions. They will travel to communities to provide assistance to people affected by the war. To ensure that their work is as effective as possible, the Charitable Foundation, together with our partners at CARE, has organized a two-day training course.
“During the training, participants not only gained theoretical knowledge and a clear understanding of protection principles, but also learned to see the person behind every situation. These skills will help them during field trips—to assess risks more quickly, provide support without harm, and effectively establish referral processes. In addition, through joint discussion, we were able to identify key needs for additional training, which will form the basis for the further development of the team and strengthen its capacity in field work,” – notes protection coordinator Tetiana Kushnirenko.
The training was conducted by qualified trainers with relevant humanitarian experience: Olga Soboleva, crisis clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, supervisor of mobile team psychologists at the SSS Charitable Foundation, and protection coordinator Tetiana Kushnirenko. The experts not only shared their theoretical knowledge, but also demonstrated many interesting and effective methods, including those for stabilizing people’s psychological state.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the professional level of the trainers. I liked how they conveyed information, explaining complex terms in simple words. In addition to the theoretical part, I remember the practical exercises, which I will use in my work with project participants. It was also valuable for me that the trainers and other colleagues shared their professional experience and their own case studies,”- said Oksana Kamaletdinova, a psychologist with the mobile team in the Mykolaiv region, sharing her impressions of the training.
“I have been working with affected populations for quite some time, so the information I received during the training will give me even more resilience and confidence in my work, as well as allow me to not lose myself and regain my strength,” – adds Natalia Yurchenko, a lawyer with the mobile team in the Kherson region.
The first visits by mobile teams to the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions will take place in October.
The project “Lifesaving response to protection concerns and humanitarian needs of conflict affected people in the South and South-East of Ukraine” is implemented by the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation in partnership with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
