When it became clear that the war would not end quickly, due to the humanitarian crisis, the psychological pressure of the occupation and the setbacks in the development of children, most of the families of our organization decided to leave for unoccupied territories or abroad. Money was needed for this. Ordinary parents of the same children with autism from America and Great Britain responded to our collective post asking for help on Facebook. Thanks to Andrea Congdon, who collected money, and Katya Severts, who arranged for seats on the evacuation bus, several families left Kherson in April 2022. Families who had their own transport left a little later.
Those who did not go abroad changed their place of residence many times in search of housing. After all, prices for housing with good conditions were too high, and free shelters were unsuitable for people with autism. Then Andrea suggested using the money she collected to make a project where families would live together. This made it possible not only to be safe, in comfortable conditions, but also to support each other. Parents also organized various activities on their own, almost like in peacetime. We had a daily schedule of educational activities, exercise and sports, a lot of creativity and communication, household chores, periodic educational excursions, and outings into nature.
We also made friends with the Tysmenets city authorities and they gave us materials for camouflage nets and kikimors, which were then handed over to the front. Also, at one charity fair, we sold our handmade products for UAH 3 000, which were also donated to the needs of the Armed Forces. All this supported us in difficult times. This incredible project lasted for 5 months until the collected money was enough. Each of the participants remembers him with warmth and gratitude. Also, thanks to the experience gained in the “Western Ukraine Autism Project”, we started to organize our rehabilitation recovery camps, which after the de-occupation of our native city, the families that remained in Kherson were also able to come.