East SOS Launches Training Program for Staff of Six Residential Care Facilities in Three Oblasts of Ukraine
The East SOS specialists have completed the first stage of a training program for teams working at residential care facilities.
We support people with reduced mobility, including older people living alone and people with disabilities, throughout the evacuation process – from leaving dangerous areas to resettlement in a relatively safe location.
For us, it is essential that people can live in safe conditions after evacuation and receive quality care and support tailored to their needs. To this end, our team renovates and equips residential care facilities and supports institutions that are ready to develop modern approaches to care and implement practices based on respect for every person’s dignity. Training for care teams is one of the ways we support such institutions.
The first training cycle started in June 2026. As of July, a training module had been delivered to 74 staff members of residential care facilities in Stetseva and Kalush in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast; Mykolaivka and Bessarabskе in Odesa Oblast; and Hupalivka and Mohyliv in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The program was delivered by regional East SOS teams from Vinnytsia, Dnipro and Mykolaiv.
The training program draws on the Foundation team’s practical experience, developed since 2022 through evacuation, psychosocial support, and assistance to older people and people with disabilities.
The program consists of three modules and combines two areas: professional skills development and psychological support sessions. Participants deepen their knowledge of person-centered and inclusive care, accessibility and respect for human dignity, and practise an individualised approach to each resident through practical case studies.
“Care facility staff interact every day with people who have experienced the loss of their home, forced displacement, loneliness or a deterioration in their health. These experiences can manifest in different ways, and it is important to understand that difficult emotions are often caused by pain or severe stress. We wanted the training to provide not only professional knowledge but also tools for self-support,” said Yuliia Krat, Coordinator of the Psychological Support Program at East SOS.
At the end of module, a psychologist and a protection officer conduct sessions focused on emotional recovery, prevention of professional burnout and the development of self-help skills.
“We wanted to create an atmosphere of trust. Our goal was not only to share knowledge but also to listen attentively to the people who support others every day. When staff can speak openly about their difficulties, they no longer have to face them alone. This helps them look at their work from a new perspective, avoid taking on other people’s pain, and preserve the strength they need to continue supporting those who need it,” says Olena Bosa, Protection Officer at East SOS.
Renovating and equipping care facilities create the conditions people need to live in. The knowledge, experience and emotional resources of care teams turn these facilities into places where people can receive meaningful support. That is why East SOS works simultaneously to strengthen infrastructure and support the teams who care for others every day.
The East SOS activities are implemented as part of the EMPOWER project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with the European Union and carried out by GIZ Ukraine.
