UKRAINE: Strengthening families and supporting children
The social and economic upheaval following the collapse of the Soviet Union has had serious adverse effects on Ukrainian families and social structures. Thousands of Ukrainian children have been left abandoned, homeless, and institutionalized under abusive conditions. Over 145,000 adolescents are housed in state institutions, while an estimated 50,000 children live on the streets of major cities. In addition, a rapidly growing HIV epidemic has created a phenomenon of abandoned babies born to HIV-positive women lacking the support to care for their children.
Supporting at-risk youth
Based on the success of our programs in Russia, Doctors of the World-USA (DOW) has established a Drop-in Center in Chernihiv to provide youth with rights-based counseling and social services. Once fully established and adapted to the local context, this program will serve as a model within the government’s nationwide plans to reform child welfare, including establishing centers for social and psychological rehabilitation of neglected and abandoned children.
Keeping families together
Based on another successful model first implemented in Russia, the MAMA+ Project empowers HIV-positive mothers to keep their children by providing them with comprehensive services to meet their individual needs. The MAMA+ team also provides support to HIV-positive mothers and their families through family visits and counseling. In addition, the team assists the family in accessing welfare support, education, and job training or placement, and provides material support and other care for children. Through the MAMA+ project, HIV-positive mothers who are often marginalized and disenfranchised gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to keep families together.
Comprehensive, long-term solutions
DOW’s programs work with local organizations and establish crucial links with government services to gain community involvement and ensure the sustainability of services.
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