Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

My Connection

My Aunt Helen, a clinical psychologist, introduced me to Children and War UK and their cause last year when she took over as the Chair of Fundraising. Helen has worked with children, adolescents and families in hospital and school settings. Her research ranges from the psychological impact on children who sustained facial or body burns, to pre-schoolers’ peer relationships.

I felt a call to get involved, and even more so after seeing first-hand the impacts of the war in Ukraine on refugees directly here in Geneva, Switzerland.

So What Does Children and War UK do?

💜 Train Local Adults in Trauma Recovery Techniques for Children, where access to clinical psychologists is limited.

💜 Help Children in Groups who find themselves adrift from the lives they once knew from many countries including: Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria and Ukraine.

💜 The Children learn ways to cope with the traumas they experienced and ongoing difficulties, such as losing parents or family member, or a home.

💜 The Trained Adults can cascade the training to other adults in the community, so many children can be reached as early as possible. 

💜 Training is offered In-Person and now through On-Line Video Conferencing.

The Challenge - 21.098 KM

Running is my passion, my fitness, my meditation, my stress-relief, my social time, and the way I continue to challenge myself. I run with a wonderful group of women in Geneva, and the connection we have developed through our love of running, training, pushing ourselves and each other is profound. 

Most of you who visit this page know that this Half Marathon distance is not a new challenge for any of us, but this time we are challenging ourselves in a different way. Our goal is not to achieve a new Personal Best time, but to raise funds to support the many children in need of psychological help due to a sadly increasing number of wars and tragedies.

I am so grateful that this connection has motivated Mariana, Lena, Ally and Katie to help reach this fundraising goal of £20,000.

How will your Donation make an impact?

Early in May 2022, UNHCR (the UN High Commissioner for Refugees) reported:  ‘In the 10 weeks since the Russian invasion, a third of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes, […] more than 5.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine. A further 7.7 million have been displaced within Ukraine.’

For children affected by events in Ukraine, Children and War is working with our colleagues in Lviv to extend training and support to child mental health workers in our techniques. We use video conferencing to run training sessions with people in Poland and Estonia. And in the UK, we’re working with Ukrainian colleagues to support displaced Ukrainian children.

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