2026-2-24

With the war in Ukraine entering its fifth year, fighting continues to take a toll on children’s lives and development. To assist minors who have been displaced by the conflict, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs brought together the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TCFC) and the international humanitarian relief organization WeWorld in a three-year partnership to support children’s psychological recovery in Ukraine. The initiative will establish a comprehensive support system for the Kyiv area, creating a hub for international aid. On January 8, TCFC and WeWorld released a joint statement reaffirming their long-term commitment to protecting the health, safety, and dignity of children in crisis situations. The organizations pledged to invest resources and take practical steps to restore hope for children displaced by the war. 

In his remarks, TCFC Chairperson Liu Pang-fu stressed that the collaboration was a concrete demonstration of moving from commitment to action. Liu said that the TCFC would draw on its years of experience in providing children with highly professional mental health and psychosocial support. He added that the TCFC would turn its expertise in mental health assistance into an internationally recognized model of humanitarian relief, offering traumatized children a path to recovery. Chen Ming-chieh, Deputy Director General of MOFA’s Department of European Affairs, noted that governments should not work in isolation on humanitarian aid. He said that the joint announcement would let Ukrainian children know that they were not alone, because others were willing to share the hardship of war.

Addressing the event, WeWorld President Marco Chiesara underlined that children should not be sacrificed in conflict. He added that millions of minors were still living in fear today. WeWorld will provide traumatized children with psychological care using TCFC’s sensory motor arousal regulation treatment and trauma-informed techniques. The program will give comprehensive professional training to frontline social workers in Ukraine; staff at the Kyiv City Center for Social Services for Families, Children and Youth; and primary caregivers in shelter organizations and foster families.

Taiwanese counseling specialists will visit Ukraine to provide guidance and Ukrainian trainee instructors will undertake internships in Taiwan. The TCFC aims to teach local caregivers advanced techniques in emotional regulation such as using nonverbal communication to address hypervigilance and help traumatized children overcome the anxiety and fear caused by war. The program demonstrates Taiwan’s soft power in mental health.