UNICEF Blue Dot Centers Provide Help for Children Traumatized by War in Ukraine

One month of war in Ukraine has forced more than half the nation's children to flee their homes in search of safety. As of March 28, 2022, more than 3.9 million people had crossed the border into Poland, Moldova, Romania and other neighboring countries. To provide newly arrived Ukrainian refugee families with urgently needed support and services, UNICEF is setting up a network of 26 Blue Dot centers along key transit routes. At a Blue Dot center near the border in Palanca, Moldova, a Child-Friendly Space stocked with games, toys and art supplies offers kids a place where they can just be kids for a while. Blue Dot psychologist Tatiana Andriesh spends her days working with children whose lives have been turned upside-down by the war. Some keep to themselves, coloring quietly or playing with a toy. Others are relieved to have a friendly adult to talk to. "Mostly we do game therapy," says Andriesh. "But it will depend on the child, how ready her or she will be to play with us. "Somehow, the emotional state of the parents is passed on to the children. If a parent is hugging them too tightly, the child gets afraid. There are situations where the mothers are so emotionally affected that we have to work with the parents somehow, and after that we can give attention to the children."