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Tag: children

  • How practitioners in Ukraine and across Europe built a self-sustaining peer learning network to support children

    How practitioners in Ukraine and across Europe built a self-sustaining peer learning network to support children

    When military fathers started arriving at her centre in Bulgaria, sharing challenges they faced with their own children, Irina V. found herself drawing on lessons learned not from textbooks, but from conversations with fellow practitioners scattered across a war zone.

    “What I learned about providing psychological first aid (PFA) to children actually helped me in working with parents of children in crisis,” Irina explained during a recent video call with professionals across Europe supporting children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

    That call was the first annual meeting of an entirely volunteer-driven network of practitioners – some working within kilometres of active combat – who teach each other how to better support children. This network emerged from an innovative certificate peer learning programme supported by the European Union’s EU4Health programme, developed by The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

    An organization like “Everything will be fine Ukraine” maintains operations within 20 kilometres of active fighting while supporting 6,000 children across three eastern regions. During online peer learning activities, some participants manage air raid interruptions, power outages, and repeated displacement of both staff and families they serve.

    “The most powerful solutions often emerge when professionals can learn directly from each other’s experience,” TGLF’s Charlotte Mbuh noted. “But knowledge sharing and learning are necessary but insufficient. Through the ‘Accelerator’ mechanism, we showed that participation results in measurable improvements in children’s wellbeing.”

    Learning in crisis

    The programme that connected Irina to her peers has achieved something that aid organizations typically spend years trying to build. In less than a year, 331 organizations representing 10,000 staff and volunteers joined a peer learning network that now reaches over one million Ukrainian children. Ninety-one volunteers across 13 countries now serve as focal points, recruiting participants and adapting materials to local contexts. The cost per participant is 87 per cent lower than European training averages. And rather than winding down as initial funding expires, the network is expanding.

    Most remarkably, 76 per cent of participants are based in Ukraine itself—not in the European host countries the programme originally planned to serve.

    IFRC’s longstanding commitment to integrating mental health into humanitarian response created the institutional framework that made this achievement possible. Speaking at the  EU4Health final event in Brussels in June, IFRC Regional Director for Europe Birgitte Bischoff Ebbesen called IFRC’s effort “the most ambitious targeted mental health and psychosocial support response in the history of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.”

    TGLF’s specific focus was to explore how online peer learning could support Red Cross staff and volunteers, together with other organizations and networks that support children.

    IFRC’s Panu Saaristo explains: “Peer learning creates a horizontal approach where practitioners facing similar challenges can support each other directly. This is really consistent with our community-led and volunteer-driven action led by local volunteers. When tools and approaches are shared peer-to-peer, we see solutions that are both more sustainable and more locally owned.”

    The power of learning from and supporting each other

    What makes this network different is its rejection of the traditional aid model, where experts tell local workers what to do. Instead, practitioners learn from and support each other.

    The approach addresses a fundamental problem in crisis response: conventional training cannot keep pace with rapidly evolving challenges on the ground. When a teacher in Poland encounters a child showing signs of distress linked to their experiences, she can connect within hours to a social worker in Ukraine who has dealt with similar cases.

    Katerina W., who worked with Ukrainian refugee students in Slovakia, described creating “safe corners” and “art corners” where children could communicate when trauma left them unable to speak. She shared these techniques not with a supervisor, but with hundreds of peers facing similar challenges across Europe.

    “The practical knowledge and real-life examples inspired me to adapt my methods and approach challenges with greater empathy and creativity,” said Jelena P., an education professional from Croatia who participated in the network.

    Jennifer R., who founded Teachers for Peace to provide free online lessons to war-affected Ukrainian children, explains the urgent need: “Many of my students show signs of distress that affected their learning. My challenge is to equip volunteer teachers with the right tools so they can feel confident and support the students beyond language learning.”

    Building something that lasts

    The network provides resources for what aid workers call “psychological first aid” or “PFA” for children—the immediate support provided to children experiencing crisis-related distress. This includes listening without pressure, addressing immediate needs, and connecting children with appropriate services.

    But the real innovation lies in how knowledge spreads and gets turned into action. Practitioners connect to share challenges and problem-solve solutions. The agenda emerges from their actual needs, not predetermined curricula.

    “At traditional training, we acquire knowledge and practice skills to get diplomas or certificates,” explained Anna Nyzkodubova, a Ukrainian PFA leader who became a facilitator to support her colleagues. “But here, when we learn through peer-to-peer principles, we grow professionally and make our contribution to solving real cases and real challenges.”

    This peer learning model has proven so effective that the Geneva Learning Foundation announced in August it would continue the programme for five additional years. 

    “We saw that amongst those we had reached, this included practitioners working close to the front lines of armed conflict, working in very difficult conditions,” said Reda Sadki, Executive Director of The Geneva Learning Foundation, which coordinates the network. “Rather than limiting effectiveness, these challenging conditions revealed significant demand for peer learning. This is why we decided to continue these activities.”

    Scale through connection

    The network’s growth defies conventional wisdom about aid work. Rather than adding overhead, the growing size of the network enhances learning by providing more diverse experiences and perspectives. A social worker in eastern Ukraine might develop an approach that helps a teacher in Croatia facing similar challenges.

    Participants access six different types of activities, from short self-guided modules in multiple languages to intensive month-long programs where they implement specific projects and document results. The variety accommodates practitioners with different schedules and experience levels while maintaining quality through peer review and a strong child protection and mutual support framework.

    A different kind of aid

    The programme represents a broader shift in how international assistance might work. Rather than extracting knowledge from affected communities to inform distant decision-makers, it amplifies local expertise and creates connections between practitioners facing similar challenges.

    For Irina, working with Ukrainian refugees far from her home country, the network provided something invaluable: the knowledge that she was not alone, and that solutions existed within her professional community.

    “I realized the importance of separating psychotherapeutic long-term assistance and psychological first aid, especially when working with children who may be at risk of harming themselves,” she said, describing an insight that emerged from group discussions about recognizing when cases require specialist referral.

    As the programme enters its next phase, its founders are proposing additional innovations, including apps where practitioners can log experiences and reflect on challenges while building evidence of what works across different contexts.

    The model suggests a fundamental reimagining of how knowledge can strengthen local action in crisis response—not from experts to recipients, but between peers who understand each other’s reality because they live it every day. If properly supported, this model could reinforce its importance in the blueprint for future humanitarian action.

    References

    1. Sadki, R., 2025. How practitioners in Ukraine and across Europe built a self-sustaining peer learning network to support children. https://doi.org/10.59350/25pa2-ddt80
    2. Sadki, R., 2025. PFA Accelerator: across Europe, practitioners learn from each other to strengthen support to children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. https://doi.org/10.59350/redasadki.21155
    3. Sadki, R., 2025. Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children. https://doi.org/10.59350/dgpff-n9d63
    4. Sadki, R., 2024. Support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Bridging practice and learning through the sharing of experience. https://doi.org/10.59350/zbb4v-hay69
    5. The Geneva Learning Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2025. Діти у кризових ситуаціях, спільноти підтримки – Застосування першої психологічної допомоги для підтримки дітей, які постраждали від гуманітарної кризи в україні. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.14901474
    6. The Geneva Learning Foundation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2025. Children in Crisis, Communities of Care – Psychological first aid for children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.14732092
    7. The Geneva Learning Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2024. Перша психологічна допомога дітям, які постраждали внаслідок гуманітарної кризи в Україні – Досвід дітей, опікунів та помічників. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.13730132
    8. The Geneva Learning Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2024. Psychological first aid in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Experiences of children, caregivers, and helpers. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.13618862

    The initial development and implementation of this programme (2023-2025) was funded by the European Union through a project partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). All ongoing activities, content, and their delivery from 1 September 2025 are the sole responsibility of The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF).

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2025

  • Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    This article is based on Reda Sadki’s presentation at the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable” on 6 March 2025. Learn more about the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Get insights from professionals who support Ukrainian children.

    “I understood that if we want to cry, we can cry,” reflected a practitioner in the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine – illustrating the kind of personal transformation that complements technical training.

    During the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable”, the Geneva Learning Foundation’s Reda Sadki explained how peer learning provides value that traditional training alone cannot deliver. The EU-funded program on Psychological First Aid (PFA) for children demonstrates that practitioners gain five specific benefits:

    First, peer learning reveals contextual wisdom missing from standardized guidance. While technical training provides general principles, practitioners encounter varied situations requiring adaptation. When Serhii Federov helped a frightened girl during rocket strikes by focusing on her teddy bear, he discovered an approach not found in manuals: “This exercise helped the girl switch her focus from the situation around her to caring for the bear.”

    Second, practitioners document pattern recognition across diverse cases. Sadki shared how analysis of practitioner experiences revealed that “PFA extends beyond emergency situations into everyday environments” and “children often invent their own therapeutic activities when given space.” These insights help practitioners recognize which approaches work in specific contexts.

    Third, peer learning validates experiential knowledge. One practitioner described how simple acknowledgment of feelings often produced visible relief in children, while another found that basic physical comforts had significant psychological impact. These observations, when shared and confirmed across multiple practitioners, build confidence in approaches that might otherwise seem too simple.

    Fourth, the network provides real-time problem-solving for urgent challenges. During fortnightly PFA Connect sessions, practitioners discuss immediate issues like “supporting children under three years” or “recognizing severe reactions requiring referrals.” As Sadki explained, these sessions produce concise “key learning points” summarizing practical solutions practitioners can immediately apply.

    Finally, peer learning builds professional identity and resilience. “There’s a lot of trust in our network,” Sadki quoted from a participant, demonstrating how sharing experiences reduces isolation and builds a supportive community where practitioners can acknowledge their own emotions and challenges.

    The webinar highlighted how this approach creates measurable impact, with practitioners developing case studies that transform tacit knowledge into documented evidence and structured feedback that helps discover blind spots in their practice.

    For practitioners interested in joining, Sadki outlined multiple entry points from microlearning modules completed in under an hour to more intensive peer learning exercises, all designed to strengthen support to children while building practitioners’ own professional capabilities.

    This project is funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of TGLF, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

    Illustration: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2025

  • Support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Bridging practice and learning through the sharing of experience

    Support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Bridging practice and learning through the sharing of experience

    Psychological First Aid in Support of Children Affected by the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine: the Experiences of Children, Caregivers and Helpers

    “Do you have an experience supporting children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine that you would like to share with colleagues? Tell us what happened and how it turned out. Be specific and detailed so that we can understand your story.”

    This was one of the questions that applicants to the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine could choose to answer.

    If you are reading this, you may be one of the education, health, or social work professionals who answered questions like these. You may also be a policy maker or organizational leader asking yourself how children from Ukraine and the people who work with them can be better supported.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF), in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and with support from the European Union’s EU4Health programme, is pleased to announce the publication of the first “Listening and Learning” report focused on the experiences of education, social work, and health professionals who support children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

    This new report, published in both Ukrainian and English editions, gives back the collected experiences of 873 volunteers and professionals who applied to this new programme in spring 2024.

    Readers will find short, thematic analyses. A comprehensive annex is also included to present the full compendium of experiences shared.

    To transform these rich experiences into actionable insights, the Foundation’s Insights Unit applied a rigorous analytical process. This included systematic consolidation of data, thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, synthesis of key trends and effective practices, and careful curation of representative experiences. This methodology allows for the rapid sharing of on-the-ground knowledge and innovative practices tailored to the specific context of MHPSS in humanitarian crises. As with any qualitative analysis, these insights should be considered alongside other forms of evidence and expertise in the field.

    Experiences shared reflect the intrinsic motivation of helpers, their subtle attention to children, the magic of doing the right thing at the right moment. They also describe the personal and practical challenges helpers face when working with distressed individuals and communities, often with limited resources. 

    This programme, offered by The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), employs an innovative peer learning-to-action model grounded in the most recent advances in the learning sciences.

    To complement existing top-down skills-based training in Psychological First Aid (PFA), we are working with IFRC to create structured opportunities for practitioners to learn directly from each other’s experiences while applying what they learn to their own work, aligning to the best guidance and norms for mental health and psychosocial support. For professionals working in crisis settings, this offers several key advantages:

    It leverages the collective expertise and tacit knowledge of practitioners on the ground.

    It creates a supportive community of action, connecting professionals across boundaries of geography, hierarchy, and job roles.

    It helps bridge gaps between theory and practice by positioning learning at the point of work.

    It fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills through peer analysis and feedback.

    It is highly adaptable and can be implemented quickly in response to emerging crises.

    This process not only enhanced participants’ understanding of Psychological First Aid principles but also built their capacity to critically reflect on and improve their practice. By engaging professionals from across Europe and Ukraine in both English and Ukrainian cohorts, the exercise fostered cross-cultural exchange and mutual learning.

    As the humanitarian sector continues to grapple with how to effectively build capacity at scale, particularly in rapidly evolving crisis situations, we believe this peer learning-to-action model offers a promising pathway. It empowers practitioners as both learners and teachers, creating a dynamic and sustainable approach to professional development that can adapt to meet emerging needs.

    The Foundation would like to thank IFRC, the Psychosocial Support Centre (PSC), National Societies, as well as the network of governmental and non-governmental organizations across Europe that has engaged in this new approach, as a complement to their efforts on the ground. As the programme continues through to June 2025, this report will be followed by others to share what we learned from successive peer learning exercises, folllowed by the development and implementation of local projects guided by the collective intelligence of practitioners.

    We invite you to explore these insights, reflect on their implications for your own work, and consider how this approach might be applied to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support capacity in your own context.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Learning about mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries

    Learning about mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries

    The report “Two years on: mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries” is from the Psychosocial Support Centre, a specialized hub of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) with the mission to “enhance psychosocial support initiatives”.

    Key points from the report include:

    • Nearly “one in ten of those affected by war grapple with moderate to severe mental health issues.” This refers to the crisis having significant psychological impacts on those directly impacted or displaced by the conflict.
    • Over 1 million crisis-affected people have received psychosocial support (PSS) “thanks to specialist staff and more than 124,000 volunteers from 58 countries.” 
    • There are “increased psychological assistance requests…from women heading households” as Ukraine sees heightened risks to families and disruptions to support services due to the conflict. 
    • “Three out of four parents report signs of psychological trauma in their children” including impaired memory, inattention, and learning difficulties. Children are especially vulnerable to the stresses and trauma resulting from the conflict. 
    • Psychological First Aid (PFA) services are provided “at Humanitarian Service Points along refugee routes, through call centers, and at various contact points”.

    Overall, the report highlights the substantial scale and complex nature of MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support) needs driven by the Ukraine conflict as well as the scale and scope of the Red Cross Red Crescent response mobilized so far including through delivery of PFA (Psychological First Aid) and PSS (psychosocial support).

    What are the challenges?

    The report on mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine highlights several key challenges, including:

    • The vast scale of needs driven by protracted conflict, with 14.6 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. Meeting mental health demands for crisis-affected populations often exceeds available capacity and resources.
    • Ensuring consistent, sustainable care and support with constrained funding and risk of donor fatigue as the crisis persists long-term. Services must have resilience even as attacks continue disrupting infrastructure.
    • Reaching vulnerable groups like the elderly and immobile with limited mobility to access care. Specialized outreach and home-based care is essential but demanding to deliver.
    • Preventing burnout, fatigue and declining wellbeing among staff and volunteers working under intense pressure in risky environments. Their mental health and capacity is vital but often overlooked.

    What can we learn about psychological first aid (PFA) for children from this report?

    First, we need to understand the specialized terminology used:

    • The term “MHPSS” (mental health and psychosocial support) refers to a continuum of support aimed at protecting and improving people’s mental health and wellbeing during and after crises. The report notes resourcing this immense and growing scale of MHPSS need remains an acute challenge.
    • Psychological First Aid (“PFA”) describes a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support.
    • Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) are a key element of the Red Cross Red Crescent psychosocial support response in Ukraine. They are “a service to increase children’s access to safe environments and promote their psychosocial well-being.”

    We learn that with support from the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society:

    • has provided recreational activities to almost 70,000 children in CFS inside Ukraine over the past year;
    • trained 319 staff and volunteers in managing CFS;
    • runs CFS to help children cope with issues like difficulties meeting new people, separation anxiety, and fear when air raid sirens sound.

    The report shares anecdotes from children, such as a child who came to a CFS in Kyiv after fleeing heavy shelling. His social anxiety has improved and he asks his mom if he can skip school to go to CFS activities instead.

    More data, supported by analysis on outcomes and effectiveness, could further strengthen the report.

    How can peer learning be useful?

    A peer learning model focused on improving health outcomes is likely to be relevant in addressing these multilayered challenges. It is specifically designed to foster reflection and unlock intrinsic motivation in practitioners to create change.

    • Peer learning methodologies could help meet capacity gaps by scaling support across affected areas rapidly through digital means.
    • Peer support networks could enable volunteers and staff caring for others to also care for themselves, preventing fatigue. 
    • By connecting practitioners across borders and sectors, peer learning could help to share innovative, context-appropriate solutions and accelerate their testing and refinement to meet needs.

    Reference: Two years on: mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries. Psychosocial Support Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Image: Psychosocial Support Centre Report cover.