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 a new app we've 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.

In just 14 days, you and your child can learn:

  • How to find calm in the middle of a storm;
  • How to be kinder to yourselves, and to others;
  • How to have difficult conversations;
  • How to find hope when things begin to feels hopeless.

Nadiya is completely free to use.

Nadiya fills an urgent need. It 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.

The app was developed by Apart of Me, a UK-based mental health charity, in partnership with Voices of Children, Dentsu, Compass Pathways, Ukraine International Association of Psychologists For Grief and Severe Loss.

Child with parent, entering a wood

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, growing qualities such as Compassion, Calm, and Courage.

As you play together, 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.

Nadiya app screenshots

What can Nadiya do for families like yours?

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:

  • Simple therapeutic exercises for child and parent to do together. These are designed in a playful and engaging format, so children will enjoy doing them without being pressured by parents to do so.
  • 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.

Nadiya app image

How Nadiya was 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 told us that the burden that she and other mental health professionals in Ukraine are carrying is devastating and the need is overwhelming.

Larisa giving her daily psychological support broadcast to Ukrainians

Larisa giving her daily psychological support broadcast to Ukrainians.

More Nadiya screenshots

Why it's needed so urgently

Primary School teacher, Poland:
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"Because of this war in Ukraine, more and more children with trauma are joining our schools and preschools. Some children have PTSD and hide under the table whenever they hear loud voices."

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Ula, Child Psychologist, Poland:
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"I feel very overwhelmed with everything that is happening. NGO's I'm working with are trying to prepare some procedures but we're all learning on the go. And to be honest there is so much to be done it's almost paralysing."

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Oksana, mother, and her son Roman (aged 6):
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"We just came from Ivano-Frankivsk where the airport was bombed. Roman [6 years old] is scared of windows now. He's even scared to go to the bathroom because he knows there's a window in there. Roman was crying all the time asking 'why can't dad come with us?'. He was crying so much yesterday and he didn't even realise it was the last time we might see him."

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Natalia, Psychologist, Poland:
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"These little children are heroes, they want to be saved, that's all. They are witnesses, they are not guilty and it's unfair. They are innocent. We need to educate people how to deal with trauma, make them aware of their emotions and help them cope with emotions and build resources. We need to create a guide for parents on how to protect their children and what disturbing signs to look for."

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Help us bring Nadiya to the world.

Nadiya will support Ukrainian families immediately, but we do not want to stop there. With your support, our app will become a vital resource for supporting displaced families and communities around the world who are living in violence and fleeing war and conflict. Donations will also be used to improve and expand Nadiya, providing additional psychological support to families so they don't feel alone in times of crisis.

Please click here to find out how you can help.

About Apart of Me

Apart of Me is a multi-award-winning UK-based charity that combines playful design and technology with expertise in child psychology to guide children and families through loss and trauma. For A Safer Place, we're partnering with:

  • Voices of Children - Ukrainian charity providing psychological support to children and families since the start of the Ukraine war in 2014
  • Dentsu - global media, marketing and design agency.
  • Compass Pathways - global innovators in new approaches to mental health treatment
  • Ukraine International Association of Psychologists For Grief and Severe Loss