Create Your First Project
Start adding your projects to your portfolio. Click on "Manage Projects" to get started
Mental Health for Ukraine Project
Project Type
Developmental Project
Location
Ukraine
Date
November 2019-October 2028
Project website
Roles
Heiko Koenigstein serves as Project Leader, Vitalii Klymchuk served as Expert Community-Based Service Developement (2019-2022) and Policy Expert (2022-2023). Viktoriia Gorbunova was a short-term expert, leading development of Universal Mental Health Training, Mental Health Sensitive School Concept and Mental Health Media Guide.
Heiko Koenigstein led the project development team, and Vitalii klymchuk was a part of the team.
Article
MENTAL HEALTH FOR UKRAINE — MH4U
The project was created to support the reform of the mental health system in Ukraine. It is being implemented with the support of Switzerland, provided through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to assist in the reform of the mental health care system in Ukraine. MH4U embodies the approaches outlined in the "Concept for the Development of Mental Health Care in Ukraine until 2030," which aims to create a comprehensive and effective mental health
care system operating within a unified intersectoral space, ensuring improvements in quality of life and the protection of human rights and freedoms.
During the first phase of the project (2019 – 2024), MH4U has become a trusted partner of government institutions at both national and regional levels. In phase 2 (2024 – 2028), we continue working with our partners in our target regions: Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Dnipro, focusing on mental health capacity building, system development, and communication campaigns.
PROJECT CONSISTS OF SUCH COMPONENTS:
Recovery for people with mental health issues and their engagement have been improved through enhanced quality, greater accessibility, and integration of mental health services.
Long-term strengthening of the mental health care system at the administrative level in cooperation with public mental health service providers from all sectors.
Improving access to new mental health services in the community through the piloting of mental health centers and supported living services.
Improving access to new mental health services in the community through the piloting of mental health centers and supported living services.
Improving mental health and psychosocial support services in response to the challenges of war.
Enhancing the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) during wartime, particularly for people in frontline areas, military families, and first responders. This includes proposals for local and national standards of mental health and psychosocial support, as well as direct support for families affected by the war.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE PROJECT
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the three pilot regions of MH4U were Lviv, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts that were under Ukraine's control at the time. Since 2024, the project has expanded to cover the entire territory of Ukraine, with a focus on Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.