Ukraine Volya foundation at the Ukrainian Culture and Future Conference to Mark the One-Year Anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Washington, DC  – Ukraine Volya Foundation (UVF), an American nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Ukrainian children with war trauma, was invited to participate in Deloitte’s Future of Ukraine Conference on February 23, 2023.   

As the world’s largest professional services organization, Deloitte has strong business and cultural ties to Ukraine through the projects implemented in Ukraine on behalf of the US government, the personal and business relationship built in Ukraine over several decades, and family connections in Ukraine of many Deloitte practitioners. Ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the event brought attention to the critical needs of people in Ukraine by sharing powerful stories by heroes. Each has struggled throughout this war, saving families, saving lives. Special guest Dmytro Kohan, Counselor, Economic issues, Embassy of Ukraine to the USA, also mentioned that supporting organizations like Deloitte for rebuilding Ukraine is crucial for the country’s future.

“Watching the news with images of destruction, missiles, and refugees, you are overwhelmed. I want to talk today about unseen and largely hidden crises,” said UVF Founder and CEO Nataliya Vyetrova in her speech. “This war…has the potential to create a new generation of Ukrainians plagued by psychological trauma.

War damages a child’s environment and subsequently impairs a child’s ability to recover from a traumatic event.”

The trauma and pain these children suffer are detrimental to their health and the future of Ukraine. Children who are personally disrupted by trauma, such as those who have witnessed family members killed, homes demolished, or have become orphaned, are particularly vulnerable. Because adults often have difficulty recognizing children in distress, children with the greatest need may go unrecognized.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukraine Volya Foundation moved into action to help children with war trauma and to support five orphanages. In the past nine months, UVF delivered four training sessions involving 95 Ukrainian professionals, ongoing therapy sessions for 35 children, and humanitarian aid to five orphanages and more than 400 children.

Anchored in the fundamentals of the UVF mission, the organization’s support, like Deloitte, will help continue the Ukraine Volya Foundation’s work in Ukraine, providing food, medicine, therapy sessions, and other psycho-emotional support services to children while living in the war zone.

Since 2022, Ukraine Volya Foundation has prioritized children in institutionalized care in Ukraine. UVF offers trauma and PTSD support through licensed professionals using proven programs to help these kids process their pain and find hope for a future once more, a future beyond war. We also directly help children with therapy sessions and direct humanitarian assistance to orphanages we sponsor, which includes building wheelchair ramps and supplying furniture, food, and clothing.

Our organization profoundly believes that one of the best things we can do for the future of Ukraine is to help children. To continue its work, Ukraine Volya Foundation invites the community to donate and show support by fundraising, volunteering, and raising awareness by sharing the UVF story with friends.

Representative of Deloitte Consulting with the UVF Team