SOCMED Programme

The SOCMED projects are currently fully focused on alleviating the suffering caused by the war (information on the SOCMED programme before the war began can be found here). Since 2024, one of the core projects has been the psychological support programme for people affected by the war. This is supplemented by initiatives to promote social cohesion and a wide range of assistance activities for particularly needy individuals in the areas of social welfare, health and education.

Psychological support

Strengthening psychological support is more urgent than ever, as the existing provision is far from sufficient. Green Cross Switzerland’s psychological support programme is generally carried out with war victims of all ages. However, the programme focuses on traumatised or psychologically distressed children and young people. This is because they suffer particularly severely from the war situation and are restricted or hindered in their development.

Among other things, the programme focuses on art therapy measures. In a protected space, participants can express their emotions, develop resilience and receive professional psychological support. Both group and individual sessions are offered. The programme is run by an experienced team of professional psychologists and art therapists.

The psychological support programme is currently being implemented in Chernihiv, Sosnytsya, Novhorod-Siverskyi and Kherson with a total of over 1,000 participants.

Further support services for children and young people

State care facilities for children are often in a difficult situation. They lack basic equipment such as furniture, bed linen and hygiene items. Due to limited financial resources, many of these facilities are hardly able to provide the children in their care with humane conditions that promote their development. Green Cross therefore provides goods such as new beds, chairs, pillows, blankets, mattresses and hygiene items. The aim is to create a supportive environment that contributes to the well-being of the children.

Another area in which Green Cross is involved is ensuring access to education despite the horrors of war. This project focuses on children affected by war and families in precarious circumstances who have lost their original homes because of the war. Green Cross provides school bags and school supplies to prepare the children for the new school year and to ease the burden on affected families who can barely afford the bare necessities.

As part of our commitment to the psychological well-being of war-affected children from poor backgrounds, we also organise festive community events with a specific theme (e.g. on public holidays). These events, at which small gifts and sweets are handed out, offer the children moments of joy, distraction and normality in their war-torn, bleak everyday lives.