About us
The children we help have survived the most devastating experiences – wars, earthquakes, fires and other mass casualty events, sexual abuse, loss of their families or communities, flight from their homes, danger and distress of all kinds. Some are still at risk, others have found a safe place in their own countries or in exile. Some are as young as three years old.
The effects of such traumas are profound, but can be helped with our internationally recognised programme of Trauma Recovery Techniques (TRT). These help children to cope with their experiences and rebuild their mental health. They can be applied by both specialists and appropriate non-specialists – for example, clinical psychologists, school teachers, aid workers or social workers.
TRT is based on 25 years of field experience from clinical psychologists working in humanitarian situations, from the Balkan wars of the 1990s onwards. It has been trialled extensively, cited in leading journals and recommended by NICE (UK). It is based on knowing what works best for children, and is practical, child-led and evidence-based.
Our role
Our role is to train those who provide help for the children, so that they can cascade TRT through local services, communities and families. As a result, TRT reaches the widest possible circle of children and their carers – quickly, affordably and effectively.
Our training is provided through a short series of sessions online or in the field and can then be shared and implemented by attendees, who are welcome to use our TRT manuals.
In addition to training the carers, we continue to research and develop new applications and adaptations of TRT – most recently for children experiencing traumatic grief, for parents living in conflict settings and for very young children. These have all been piloted and introduced as new tools in our programme.
Meanwhile, we conduct research into the effects of traumatic events on children, and into new ways of helping them to cope. And we continually assess our training to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.
We wish to increase our activity in this area, ideally in partnership with relevant academic and research organisations, and welcome conversations with interested parties.
If you would like to be involved with our training or research, please read those sections and then get in touch.
Our future plans
We have a big vision for the future. Over the next five years we aim to develop and diversify training programmes for new regions, research new applications for TRT, increase our impact measurement, build our organisational capacity with paid staff, expand our supporter base and fundraising, and engage proactively with the professional sectors that can benefit from our knowledge in the UK and overseas.
We would welcome hearing from anyone who can help us on this remarkable journey, which will bring psychological help to those in desperate need – children experiencing the trauma caused by wars and other catastrophic events.
Latest stories about our impact
Our 2024 annual report
A look at our work for children especially those affected by wars in Israel / Palestine and Ukraine.
Film: Ukrainian children in London
The heartache and recovery of Ukrainian families in London, helped by the power of TRT.
Podcast: Working with TRT
Professor Dennis Ougrin talks about working with children affected by war, exile or PTSD.
You can make a difference
Our mission is to help children overcome the trauma of wars and other disasters.
You can support this life-changing work by making a donation or raising funds.
