Solutions journalism works: Rubryka's ten best articles in August

Oleksandr Ihnatenko, the project's co-founder, with horses. Photo from the project's archive

Rehabilitation and psychological support are crucial for veterans to reintegrate into a peaceful life. One effective method used worldwide, including in Ukraine, is equine-assisted therapy or hippotherapy.

Psychologists say that even a few hours of contact with horses can improve a person's emotional state, helping them refocus, ground themselves, and feel present. Physical exercises done by soldiers while horseback riding on specially chosen horses improve balance, motor skills, and coordination. In one form of equine therapy, a person doesn't touch the horse but connects with the animal emotionally, which also calms the patient's nervous system.

The Horses and Heroes project based in the Carpathian Mountains offers a unique approach to rehabilitation through interaction with horses. Here, the horse is not just a tool but a partner and even a teacher, helping veterans overcome the effects of war, restore their mental health, and find the inner strength to return to normal life. Rubryka tells the story of this extraordinary initiative here. 

The Yedysan Cultural Heritage Center works to educate the masses on the history of the southern Mykolaiv region, support local culture, and preserve traditions.

"Yedysan, or Ochakiv region, or Ottoman/Khan Ukraine, is the pre-colonial name of our region, shared by Cossacks and Nogais, Ukrainian and Moldavian peasants, Turks and Crimean Tatars, Armenians, and Jews," says Oleksii Sydorchuk, the project leader and head of the nonprofit. "A unique culture and traditions were formed here, and evidence of this era has been preserved. Twenty years before Russia came to this area, 40,000 people lived in the city of Ochakiv and at least 300,000 in Yedysan. People lived, worked, and created a unique culture and traditions that have been passed down to us."

Oleksii believes that understanding Ukrainian identity and implementing decolonization policies in  Ukraine's south — a territory the Russian aggressor wants to claim — is critical. Rubryka explains how activists are developing a cultural project near the front-line zone here.

Participants of the Village and People camp. Photo from the project archive

Russia's full-scale war has made the lives of families raising children with disabilities even harder than they had always been. Despite the significant international aid, they face more hardship, less access to rehabilitation and education, and a greater need for psychological support. For many mothers — who typically bear the full responsibility of caring for a disabled child — the idea of going on vacation with their child seems impossible.

To support Ukrainian families with disabled children, the Vartymei Charity Organization opened a summer camp called "Village and People" in the village of Reia near Berdychiv for children and young people with disabilities. Volunteers from Vartymei provided a variety of activities for 34 children and their parents. In this article, Rubryka explains how a Ukrainian nonprofit helps young people with disabilities adapt to independent living and their families have the deserved rest.

Classes in the Sewing Business course. Photo from the fund's archive

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) make up 10% of the population in the Voznesensk community in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region. Out of over 3,500 displaced people, 2,109 are working-age women who lost their jobs due to the war.

In 2023, the Voznesensk Community Foundation launched free sewing training for displaced women through the newly established Adult Education Center to support them in their pursuit of employment. This three-month project is designed to improve the educational level and professional qualifications of IDP women and those from vulnerable population groups. Learn more about the initiative here.

Children create pictures from groats. Photo from the organization's archive

Amid Russia's full-scale war, fewer families in Ukraine can afford to pay for tutors or preparatory classes for their children. This challenge is particularly acute for parents of internally displaced children. After fleeing the war — often more than once — to a safer city or region, losing their usual rhythm of life, housing, and work, these displaced families are forced to save every penny.

Social educator Oksana Yaremenko, who moved from the eastern city of Bakhmut to the western city of Uzhhorod, runs classes for IDP preschoolers. Her express training, based on her own methods, covers all the knowledge, skills, and abilities a first-grader needs. Find out more about the activist here.

A restorer patiently fills the gaps of the damaged frescos in Sant'Eustorgio church in Milan, Italy. Photo: Giovanni Dall'Orto

Since Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian forces have damaged or destroyed 1,062 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy reported in April this year. Nearly a third of these sites were in poor condition before the invasion.

Cracks, collapsed walls, distorted decorations, and other defects on a heritage site indicate that it's beginning to fall apart. At this point, the site needs either restoration or conservation. Usually, one would discuss restoration. However, considering current financial constraints, conservation might be a better option for Ukraine.

Rubryka talked to Alisa Sviatyna, the director of the Restoration and Technology Center and a certified restoration technologist, to see if conservation could be a solution for preserving heritage sites during the war.

First charity party of Goodbye Hair 2024. Photo: Anastasia Khokhlova-Nekrasova

Each year, over 50,000 women, on average, in Ukraine are diagnosed with cancer. According to the National Cancer Registry, over 63,274 women were diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and 54,625 — in 2022. About 65% of them will experience hair loss, also known as alopecia, if they're treated with chemotherapy. 

The Goodbye Hair project, launched by the Inspiration Family Foundation that supports adult cancer patients, helps women with cancer cope with the trauma of losing their hair due to chemotherapy. For women beginning their cancer treatment and knowing they will soon lose their hair, the foundation's team organizes mini farewell hair parties in Kyiv, where professional hairstylists, makeup artists, and photographers work with the women to work through the experience with empowerment. Rubryka tells the project's story here.

Katia is showing an exhibit. Photo by Sasha Odnolitkova

Ukraine's most prominent cultural events usually occur in big cities like Kyiv. Residents of these cities are exposed to diverse art — from classic painting exhibitions to visual contemporary art in prominent centers like Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex or Pinchuk Art Center in the Ukrainian capital. They get to experience more, which often leaves small-town residents out of the cultural loop. 

This trend limits opportunities for local talents, and since Russia started its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, the problem worsened. Since the war, culture has been underfunded because money is directed to defense, and spaces in large cities, which are often targets of Russian air strikes, are inaccessible due to the dangers of wartime.

A journalist from the Kharkiv region, Kateryna Deviatko, decided to bring art to the outskirts and make it more accessible for people in smaller communities. In the town of Lyubotyn, she turned an ordinary garage into a temporary art space, with the main idea of decentralizing art — spreading its presence beyond major cultural hubs in big cities.

We spoke to the founder of the Vnutrishnist art space to learn how it works and what it takes to create more places like this.

English has always been one of the most popular languages for learning in Ukraine. Hundreds of language schools, online courses, and tutors available on the market made learning the language relatively easy, although not that affordable. However, according to the face-to-face survey conducted by the Razumkov Center, 43.8% of Ukrainians do not know English at all, and only 1.1% are fluent in it. At the same time, 19.2% can read, write, or speak English a little.

Balakun is a non-profit organization with mentors from all over the world and a management team based in New Zealand, the USA, Ukraine, Norway, Mexico, and France. Balakun is Ukrainian for "Chatterbox," representing the initiative's idea to foster meaningful conversations and build connections. Sandi Dempsey, the project initiator from New Zealand, shared with Rubryka how she came up with the idea and how it works in practice.

After living in Ukraine for two years, Danish urbanist Mikael Colville-Andersen noticed the mental health challenges Ukrainians faced during the war. He realized therapeutic gardens could help, but no one created them in Ukrainian cities.

"That's when I thought, if anyone needs this, it's Ukrainians — not just veterans but everyone in society. We're all dealing with different levels of stress and trauma, so I decided to try to implement a pilot project here in Kyiv, hoping to inspire more such projects across Ukraine," Mikael Colville-Andersen says.

Rubryka spoke with Mikael to learn more about the garden, how it works, and whether it truly helps in coping with trauma.

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Solutions journalism works: Rubryka's ten best articles in July