Supporting Ukrainian children with disabilities displaced in Poland

A family of three sitting. The father, wearing a green jacket and jeans, is smiling. The mother, in a light denim jacket and glasses, is embracing their baby, who is dressed in a striped outfit and smiling at the camera. Behind them there is grass.

In Poland, we’re reaching young children with disabilities who are refugees due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. For these children and their families, normal routines and therapies were all interrupted when they fled to Poland.

One of these children is Strashko, a young boy with disabilities who loves his dog, but struggled to communicate with his family.

Strashko’s mom also needed support. As a first-time mom dealing with a stressful situation, she worried constantly about her son’s development. He had trouble falling and staying asleep so she searched for resources in her new home to help her son.

Perkins’ project in Poland includes training a team of outreach workers to identify children like Strashko, and help their families create a safe space for learning in their temporary home. Thanks to this program, Strashko can communicate more and express himself, and his family knows how to support his progress.

A collaborative effort

Poland is home to the largest population of Ukrainian civilians who are refugees, which includes hundreds of children with disabilities like Strashko.

Through coaching and routine-based intervention, we’re providing Ukrainians who are displaced with the knowledge they need to help their community of children with disabilities. On the professional side, coaching is essential in guiding experts to use effective strategies. On the family side, trust and relationships are the foundation of everything we do.

We coach professionals who then coach parents to recognize and seize everyday learning moments within daily routines. It might sound surprising, but sometimes it’s hard for parents to identify opportunities for teaching in simple tasks, like washing hands. But it’s precisely in these moments when powerful learning can happen.

Natalia Kucher, a Ukrainian professional who is a refugee, trained with Perkins and shared her thoughts with us about this whole experience. “Working on this project is extremely important for families and is especially needed at this moment. Raising a child with [disabilities] is already challenging when it comes to creating the right living conditions. But in this case—when there is also the need for adaptation and socialization in a new city, a new country, and an unfamiliar language—the difficulties multiply a thousand times over.”

Words alone cannot fully express this experience. One mother from the family I support said that this project has divided her life into ‘before and after’ meeting me! She constantly feels moral support, along with timely and insightful advice.”
Natalia Kucher, Ukrainian professional trained by Perkins

Sustainable support

Our work in Poland also aims to prepare Poland’s education system to include any child with disabilities. Looking ahead, Perkins plans to extend this impact by training additional Ukrainian professionals to support more Ukrainian children with disabilities and families, establishing a sustainable model for inclusive education in fragile settings.

Perkins was able to bring essential support to these displaced families with NGO partners like UNICEF, the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities, and the Imago Foundation. UBS Optimus Foundation also provided vital support when we launched the intensive program. Thanks to this collaborative effort, more Ukrainian children with disabilities will have the confidence and support needed to find their place in the world.