Gen.Ukrainian провела перший Gen.Camp Family для родин, у яких один із батьків повернувся з російського полону
15 families participated in our 10-day program: 30 adults and children ages 6 to 17. After the intensive, Gen.Ukrainian continues to support the participants, while Gen.Hope analyzes the program’s outcomes.
When a loved one returns from captivity, it marks only the end of the waiting period. But for the family, the process of recovery begins. After months or years of forced separation, they need to rebuild their daily lives, their relationships as partners, and the bond between children and parents. Gen.Ukrainian created Gen.Camp Family specifically to support families during this time.
The first Gen.Camp Family took place in late summer 2026 in the Carpathians. The men, who arrived with their families, had been held captive in Russia from several months to four years.
Says Ilya, a soldier who returned after 21 months of Russian captivity
“My rehabilitation after captivity lasted more than a year and a half and focused primarily on my recovery as a soldier. At Gen.Camp Family, the focus was also on how my family had been living all this time and what my children needed. My wife and I talked about things we hadn’t discussed in a long time, and it became easier for us to listen to each other”
Gen.Ukrainian has been systematically working on restoring childhood during the war since 2022. The organization runs Gen.Camp psychological intensive programs, through which hundreds of children who have experienced traumatic war events have already received help. This experience served as the foundation for the creation of Gen.Camp Family.
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We see the moment of coming back from captivity: reunion, hugs, joy. But we hardly ever talk about the next morning, when the family has to find a way to be together again. That’s why at Gen.Camp Family, we work not only with the person who survived captivity, but with their entire family and the relationships within it”
To work with the consequences of captivity and family relationships, we involved partners who specialize in these areas. The Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center “Lisova Polyana” of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine joined the initiative as a leading institutional and expert partner. Its specialists provided methodological support and supervision to the team working with families affected by captivity, traumatic experiences, and prolonged separation.
Center for Readaptation and Rehabilitation "YARMIZ" provided psychosocial support to adult participants. “EFT4UA” worked to restore communication within couples who had gone through difficult experiences and to improve the relationship between children and parents, using emotionally focused therapy — a method that has been used for over 30 years to support family relationships.
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Our whole family received support. We returned home feeling calmer, energized, and more united. It was wonderful to see our son open up to the psychologist and eagerly participate in the activities. Now, after the camp, he smiles more, and that’s the most important change for us
After the end of the intensive program, the Gen.Hope Center of Excellence will analyze collected data, participants’ feedback, and experts’ observations. Results from the pilot project will help improve the approach and strengthen support for families who have experienced traumatic events and prolonged separation as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Based on these findings, the team will develop practical recommendations for professionals and state institutions. These recommendations can help better address the needs of children and their families in Ukraine’s recovery programs and veteran policies.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, Ukraine has already brought back 9,726 citizens from Russian captivity. In this context, the experience of the first Gen.Camp Family is important not only as a result of work with specific families, but also as an opportunity to test an approach that could be applied more widely in the future.
If your family is adjusting after returning a loved one from captivity, please fill out the application form.
If your family is adjusting after returning a loved one from captivity, please fill out the application form.
Gen.Ukrainian also invites professionals, government institutions, civil society and donor organizations that work with veterans and their families to collaborate with us.
If you need support: info@genukrainian.com.ua
For partnership requests: partnerships@genukrainian.com.ua
For partnership requests: partnerships@genukrainian.com.ua
100% of the funds raised support our mission to protect childhood in Ukraine
Together, we can help children recover from the impact of war, protect their ability to develop and imagine a future, and build a system of support that will stay with this generation for as long as it is needed.
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Psychological support to children is provided free of charge thanks to patronage
The purpose of the Gen.Camp:
stabilization of the psychological and emotional state of a child after a traumatic experience.
The duration of the program: 21 days.
Location: Ukraine.
stabilization of the psychological and emotional state of a child after a traumatic experience.
The duration of the program: 21 days.
Location: Ukraine.
