Eightfold Shattered Windows: Stories of Resilience from a Kyiv Inclusive Centre

By Kathrin F. Beck

Wednesday 16 September 2026

In Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, tall apartment blocks surround a patch of green where an old playground has stood for years. Cars are parked tightly along the streets, while people pass through the neighbourhood from time to time, going about their daily lives. At first glance, there is little to distinguish the area from countless other residential parts of Kyiv.

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has placed enormous strain on many families raising children with disabilities. Air raids, missile attacks and prolonged stress have affected entire families, while even experienced professionals sometimes struggle to know how best to respond after particularly traumatic events.

It is here, set among the apartment blocks, that the Inclusive Centre of Caritas Kyiv offers a place of support. Uliana coordinates the centre, which works with children and their families as they navigate the challenges of life during wartime. It offers individual support for children and adults alongside group activities. A multidisciplinary team of speech and language therapists, psychologists, social workers and physiotherapists provides tailored support.

Uliana, herself from temporarily occupied Mariupol, tells Masha’s story: “Masha, 21, attends the inclusive centre. She has Down syndrome and lives in a very dangerous area. The windows in her flat have been shattered eight times by blast waves from nearby strikes. After one attack, she was so distressed that she tore an entire cardboard box to pieces. At the centre, she was taught techniques to help her calm herself when she feels overwhelmed.”

Natasha, 55, has two sons, Maxim, 18, and Anatoliy, 25. Since spring 2026, Maxim has been attending the adult group at the inclusive centre. Maxim is autistic and has an intellectual disability. He particularly enjoys spending time in the sensory room, where different sights, sounds and textures help to stimulate and calm him.

How does Maxim understand the war? “When the full-scale invasion began, we fled to Poland. Maxim understands what is happening around him. We stayed there for four months before returning to Kyiv. One day, we were on our way to the hospital when there was a very loud explosion nearby. A missile struck about 300 metres away, and Maxim saw the aftermath. Since then, he has been frightened of thunderstorms because they remind him of the sound of explosions. We always go to the shelter whenever the air raid siren sounds because we live in a very dangerous area.”

Also Andrii’s son, Roman, 18, attends the adult group at the inclusive centre. He has autism and an intellectual disability. According to his father, autism affects each person differently, and even people with the same diagnosis can have very different abilities and support needs. Roman has been attending the group since 2026.

“Roman’s cognitive development is comparable to that of a six- or seven-year-old child. He enjoys playing with toys and watching films. At the same time, he has practical strengths and enjoys working with his hands. He can paint, draw and make small sculptures. One possible career path would be training as a shoemaker, a trade he could learn at a school for young people with disabilities. Roman can read, but understanding the meaning of what he reads is often challenging for him.”

How does Roman perceive the war around him? “He understands the situation,” Andrii says. “We never left Kyiv. We stayed here throughout the war. During the first month of the full-scale invasion, we could hear gunfire, and we spent almost all our time together in the shelter.”

On 8 July 2024, a Russian missile attack struck Kyiv, Andrii recalls. One missile destroyed the building directly opposite the family’s home. On the same day, the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital was hit, killing and injuring civilians. Andrii’s wife, a doctor, was at work while he was travelling on the metro.

“We had very poor internet that day,” he says. “When I finally got a signal, I saw warnings that missiles were heading towards Kyiv. I immediately called my daughter and told her to take Roman to the shelter. I was in a metro station when the attack happened. I was safe, but it was extremely crowded.”

Despite these experiences, Roman is not frightened by loud noises and continues to sleep soundly through the night. “Other families we know spend every night in shelters because they do not feel safe at home,” Andrii says.

Zlata, one of the press officers, shares Yevgeniya’s story: “Like Maria, Yevgeniya is one of the first participants to regularly attend group sessions at the Caritas Kyiv Inclusive Center. She had previously studied to become a florist at college, but after graduating, her parents began to worry that she wouldn’t be able to find a job because she had trouble navigating the city and could easily get lost. They were also concerned that Yevgeniya wouldn’t be able to socialise and would end up alone, but that’s when they learned about the opening of the Inclusive Space at Caritas. There, she became one of the regular participants.”

According to Zlata, Yevgeniya, once a client, now supports others, too: “At the centre, Yevgeniya found support for herself, and over time, she became that support for others. The specialists call her their volunteer: during classes, she helps with physical exercises, encourages others to participate more actively in group work, and simply stays by the side of those who need time to adjust.”

For many families of children with disabilities, the centre is a vital source of support. Parents know their children are cared for in a safe and supportive environment, while the centre also gives them much-needed respite.

What happens if Kyiv experiences another night of devastating missile attacks? Does the centre still open the next day?

“Yes,” Uliana says without hesitation.

How do you manage to work after a night like that?

“I don’t know. Somehow, we find the strength after even the most stressful nights. We want to show the enemy that we are still alive and that we will continue to live our lives as normally as possible, just as we did before the full-scale invasion. Perhaps resilience is the right word.”

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Kathrin Beck is Professor of Youth and Social Work in Schools in the Crisis Prevention Team at the Catholic Foundation University in Munich, Germany. She can be contacted at kathrin.beck@ksh-m.de.