Nataliia Borodina, 42 years old, works as a cultural mediator in Brașov, Romania. Passionate about helping her fellow Ukrainian citizens, she knows first-hand how challenging it can be to access health care in a foreign country. Shortly after arriving in Romania, she developed an ear infection and ended up having to return to Ukraine to access treatment after initial miscommunication with her doctor in Brașov.
“I believe that it’s important to make health-care services available in the Ukrainian language as far as possible. This helps to avoid miscommunication between patients and health-care staff, and mitigates potential errors in diagnosis and treatment,” she explains.
With a background in cultural services and psychology, Nataliia had been teaching at Odessa National Polytechnic University in Ukraine and doing voluntary work with internally displaced people, including people living with disabilities and accessing mental health support.
Nataliia had visited Brașov on a family holiday before the war and was pleased to return to the city with her 10-year-old son. Although her husband is unable to leave Ukraine, she remains resolutely upbeat about their situation, compiling lists of places she wants to visit as a family when her husband can travel once more.
This positive attitude carries through into Nataliia’s work at the Cattia Centre, where she shares techniques with Ukrainian refugees for dealing with the stress of their situation. She also organizes group and individual psychology sessions for Ukrainians, including for young mothers, teenagers and children.
With around 400 people keen to take part in mental health and psychosocial activities, Nataliia is running a varied programme tailored to different groups. Children’s anti-stress activities are based on storytelling and music therapy. Teenagers’ activities include art therapy, board games and sessions on critical thinking for countering misinformation to reduce stress. Mothers and children benefit from other activities such as muscle relaxation.
Art therapy has wide-ranging health benefits for individuals that can extend to their families and the wider community as well. WHO has gathered compelling evidence showing how artistic activities are linked to improvements in mental health, disease prevention, health promotion, management of certain health conditions and illnesses, and social well-being.
Although the Ukrainian refugees in Romania are now physically safe, many are processing extremely traumatic events, such as the loss of children or other family members. Some people’s homes have been destroyed and they have nowhere to return to once the war is over. Many of the mothers find it difficult to explain to their young children why they have been forced to leave their fathers, homes and lives behind. Psychosocial support can help people to deal with the reality of their situation and find ways to move forward.
Beyond her onsite work at the Cattia Centre, Nataliia helps the wider community of Ukrainian refugees in Brașov by sharing information. She engages with the Telegram channel “Brașov for Ukrainians”, which provides practical tips on, for example, “anti-stress places in Brașov” and free museum tours for refugees. Nataliia also posts information online about stress reduction and how to find support from fellow citizens during tough times.
“With the support of our Ukrainian cultural mediators, the WHO team in Romania has been able to fill an important gap in facilitating access to quality care, which is critical to providing high-quality psychological support to victims of wars,” says Dr Caroline Clarinval, WHO Representative in Romania.