John, for children like Illia,* the ongoing war in Ukraine has destroyed more than just their country and communities – it’s also severely affected their mental well-being.
Illia has lived through unimaginable trauma, spending much of the war hiding in a root cellar with his family on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Unable to go to school since the war started, he became afraid to set foot on the ground because he might step on mines or explosives.
Thanks to caring people like you, Illia has been able to attend one of our four child-friendly spaces in Kharkiv, where he connects with other children and receives the psychosocial support that he urgently needs. He’s even beginning to run around and play in his backyard again.
Mental health is critical to a child’s overall well-being and development. Save the Children is doing everything we can to support children’s mental health, including building child-friendly spaces in crisis-stricken areas. These are sanctuaries for kids in emergencies, giving them a safe space to play, learn and begin to heal.
That’s why we’re asking you to contribute to our $75,000 goal by midnight so we can keep providing mental health services and other critical resources to children like Illia around the world.