It’s now over 2 years since the start of the war in Ukraine. We are so humbled by the resilience of our ACET Ukraine colleagues whose determination to continue serving young people is incredibly inspiring. Thank you so much for your support which enables and encourages them in these difficult circumstances
347 of ACET Ukraine’s faithful volunteers have been able to continue their mission to deliver high-quality relationships and sexual health education and other important life skills education to young people in schools, youth clubs and churches across 14 regions.
Their new ‘Teens and Joy’ project has been going from strength to strength, with hundreds of young people receiving individual and group counselling sessions to assist them in navigating the difficulties associated with living in a wartime environment.
8 interactive thematic sessions help teenagers to overcome psychological trauma, prevent PTSD, restore their internal resources, look at life positively, and plan life and a bright future ahead. Many relationships have become frayed due to the stress of war, so the course also supports the young people to improve relationships with their relatives, become socially active and to value their own lives.
The course has been requested not only by schools, but also by churches, children’s camps and hospitals.
Nastya and Alina live with their foster family. They had to move when their home and school were destroyed by bombing.
"When we arrived in Zhytomyr, we were in a state of shock. It was scary both night and day. We have experienced a lot of terrible things. Every alarm
that sounded reverberated in me like an electric current. When I went to my new school, I didn't know anyone there. It was hard for me to make friends with others. Coach Tanya invited me and my sister, Alina, to the girls' club, ‘No Filters’. It was like home at the club; even better. I could ask questions that had bothered me for years. The club has become a place of recreation, friendship and a new life for me. We talked about respect. I analysed my condition and realized that I had no respect even for myself.
I started taking better care of myself and threw away my e-cigarette. Thank you for saving my future and giving me the strength to live today."
