As war in Ukraine continues, warnings about the enduring impact on kids' mental health

When Olena Rozvadovska, founder of the charity Voices of Children, speaks to kids in Ukraine, she hears what they're most hoping for as the war in their country continues.

Many want their fathers to return from the frontlines. One wishes for a belated birthday party. One wants a puppy, but must wait until the fighting ends.

Ukrainian children are growing up against the backdrop of war. They've endured more than 16 months of escalating violence, trauma and loss. 

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, every single aspect of their lives have been impacted by the conflict in some way, according to UNICEF, who estimates 1.5 million kids in Ukraine are at risk of developing a mental health disorder. 

"We believe that no child should be left alone with the trauma of war," said Rozvadovska, whose organization provides mental health support to kids in the country.

Rozvadovska says every kid she works with wants the same thing: a normal childhood.

"There [are] still children who wants to play, who wants to have a family, who wants to have school and to be with their friends," she told The Current guest host Robyn Bresnahan.

Yegor Yefremov, 11, is navigating a childhood upended by destruction and displacement. He's from a town near the frontlines in the Donbas region but his mother was finally able to get him to western Ukraine last month. His father is caught behind Russian lines in a village outside Mariupol. They haven't seen each other since the war began. 

Lynsey Addario, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, tells Yefremov's story in a photo essay for the New York Times Magazine. She first met him at the hospital where his mother worked in January. 

"I, myself, have an 11-year-old son, and I thought it would be interesting to understand sort of what life was like for him on a daily basis," said Addario.

"For me, the story was just about the daily life on the frontlines — you know, trying to stay alive, trying to get water or trying to be occupied enough."

While many Ukrainian kids have displayed incredible resilience, they're extremely vulnerable to the side effects of war, says Rozvadovska.

If they don't get help processing the experiences they've been through, she fears the long-term health consequences will be devastating. Children seeing the war unfold around them are at high risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders, she said.

Voices of Children offers support to Ukrainian children through psychosocial activities meant to provide kids "a bit of bright colours" so they're not sitting alone at home watching TV and "waiting for some better news."