For many months now, the Polish Center for Integral Assistance to Refugees has been organizing various activities and programs for Ukrainian women who were forced to leave their homes and flee the war on their own. These women face serious life challenges and the center provides them with emotional, mental and spiritual support to help them cope with the difficulties and regain strength to live. Since these meetings have existed, more than 2,000 women of different ages have been helped through specialized programs aimed at recovery and healing.
One of the key components of the center's work is art therapy under the guidance of professional psychologists, which helps women to express their feelings through creativity and thus relieve emotional stress. There are also trainings using COPEKIT cards, that promote emotional recovery, help relieve stress and teach mental and spiritual self-help. These sessions allow women to learn how to control their emotions, cope with anxiety and stress caused by war events and the loss of loved ones.
The center pays special attention to supporting widows who lost their relatives in the war. A few weeks ago, a comprehensive course was organized for twenty such women. Each of them received the necessary help, support and attention. As a result, many women were able not only to overcome the pain of loss, but also to find new goals in life. After completing the course, some of the participants became permanent helpers at the center, participating in the organization of events and helping other women.
One of these women was Yana from Kharkiv. Her story is particularly touching. Before coming to the center, Yana was going through a severe depression caused by the death of her husband in the war. For six months she hardly went anywhere and lost the will to live. However, participation in the course for widows and communication with a psychologist helped her to overcome this crisis. She was able to regain the strength to live and even began to help other women cope with their tragedies. Yana began to regularly attend therapy sessions, actively participating in the life of the center and helping to organize various projects for refugees. Thanks to these activities, she not only found meaning in life, but also distracted herself from her grief and slowly learned to enjoy life again.
But perhaps the most important thing for Yana is her spiritual renewal. She acknowledges that through all these changes, she was able to draw closer to God. Yana realized that God cared about her life, and it was through this faith that she found hope. She now shares her experience with other women, inspiring them to not give up despite the hardships of life and teaching them to seek comfort in God.
