Nadiya,
a quest for a safer place
For both children and parents
Giving families affected by trauma the power to thrive in difficult times
Nadiya is the Ukrainian word for hope. It's also the name of the main character in the app we created to help families like yours. It's a sanctuary where parents and carers of children who have experienced trauma can find well designed, fun, and easy to use resources to help them guide their children through life’s biggest challenges.
A safer place for both children and parents
Nadiya takes place in a magical woodland realm where you'll meet a friendly and wise Guide. The Guide tells you about a girl (Nadiya) who needs your help. She was walking through the woodland when she encountered a Troublesome Spirit. Nadiya was so frightened that she decided to hide by transforming herself into a tree.
The Guide needs your help to free the child trapped in the clearing, and to reconnect her to the rest of the forest. To do so, you will need to complete healing exercises that will help you build inner strength, and growing qualities such as Compassion, Calm, and Courage.
As you play, the clearing transforms into a magical garden. As you do this, you will strengthen your relationships as a family, learn how to be kinder to yourselves and others, become more confident in your ability to navigate difficult times, and rediscover hope.
Filling an urgent need
Nadiya was developed as a response to the war in Ukraine, where there are more than 7.5 million children. Many have experienced things in the last year that no child should ever have to go through.
Faced with the multiple traumas of violence, displacement, and separation from their loved ones, these children may develop mental health issues, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide. Without proper intervention, these issues can persist even into adulthood.
Nadiya gives you and your child the skills you need to guide you through these darker moments, and to help you find both light and hope on the other side.
What can Nadiya do for families?
Research from previous conflicts has shown that the most effective psychological interventions are those that strengthen the relationships between parents or carers and their children. Based on this, we've developed Nadiya to offer:
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Simple therapeutic exercises for child and parent to do together, designed in a playful and engaging format so children will enjoy doing them without being pressured by parents to do so.
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A Parents' Guide, which provides extra tips about how to assist children with coping in these difficult times.
The overarching aim of the app is to strengthen the relationship between parents and children, supporting both in maintaining the family's resilience.
How was Nadiya born?
The seeds of this project were sown when Larisa Rybyk, President of the Ukraine Psychology Association, contacted Apart of Me co-founder Louis Weinstock after she came across his work on childhood loss. Larisa lost her husband during the fighting in Ukraine in 2014. This prompted her interest in helping children cope with bereavement and as a result she set up an organisation in Ukraine to support children and their carers affected by this issue.
Since the start of the war, Larisa has been livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube every day, trying to offer psychological advice to parents, carers and other mental health professionals. She has us that the burden that she and other mental health professionals in Ukraine are carrying is devastating and the need is overwhelming. And so together, with other partners, we developed Nadiya, a therapeutic tool to help families get through the most challenging times.
Nadiya
Free
Start your healing journey today
In just 14 days, you and your child will learn how to:
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Find calm in the middle of a storm
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Be kinder to yourselves and others
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Have difficult conversations
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Find hope when things feel hopeless
Why it's needed so urgently
