Helping Ukraine Heal Through Nature-Based Programs

Partnerships for Nature builds collaborative relationships to enhance nature education and healing, restoration, conservation, and sustainable living. Our goal for this collaboration is to enhance the well-being of people experiencing trauma in wartime Ukraine. The program is based on the documented effectiveness of addressing trauma through therapeutic horticulture (TH) interventions in nature-rich settings, primarily  botanical gardens. In Ukraine, this model is being applied to botanical gardens in Ukraine's cities of Odesa, Lviv, Kyiv, Kryviy Rih, and Chernivtsi.

Ukrainian botanical garden staff were introduced to the theory and practice of TH through online presentations, discussion, guidance, and an intensive workshop led by US experts. In preparation for training staff in Ukraine, a substantial set of TH training documents was translated into Ukrainian, made available to Ukrainian botanical garden personnel, and discussed with US experts and with each other at frequent online meetings through the winter and spring of 2024. Emilee Weaver, who was at the time the Manager of Therapeutic Horticulture Programs at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, delivered presentations, led the selection of training documents and online discussions, and provided guidance throughout the implementation process. The entire project was initiated, organized, and overseen by Partnerships for Nature. 

During the summer of 2024 staff from five Ukraine botanical gardens introduced pilot programs for displaced families, veterans, those who had lost family members, and others experiencing trauma from the war, as well as children with special needs. As pilot programs were launched, Emilee Weaver facilitated regular online guidance sessions for garden staff, responding to questions and challenges experienced by those leading programs. Since program leaders were horticulture experts rather than trained mental health professionals, many of the questions involved dealing with disruptive participant behaviors. 

Throughout the summer and fall of 2024, more than 2,000 Ukrainians took part in the initial TH programs. Feedback from participants and their caregivers, both oral and written, was overwhelmingly positive. In October, 2024, program leaders from the five botanical gardens traveled across the Ukrainian border to an arboretum in SE Poland for a three-day workshop led by Emilee Weaver and her colleague, Amy Stidham, that was funded and overseen by Partnerships for Nature. The workshop focused on an in-depth exchange of experiences between the Ukrainian program leaders. Emilee and Amy provided feedback and additional guidance, including demonstrating TH exercises in the field. The workshop concluded with plans for additional training and program improvements, including site modifications and better evaluation techniques, as well as expansion of programs in 2025 (wartime conditions permitting). 

An additional important aspect of the training has been Ukrainian program leaders assisting North Carolina Botanical Garden in translating its online TH certificate course into Ukrainian. This has deepened Ukrainian program leaders’ understanding of TH while laying the groundwork for other Ukrainians to take the course in the future. In spring 2025, ten program leaders from five Ukrainian botanical gardens completed and submitted the final project for the online course and received a certificate of competency from North Carolina Botanical Garden. This certificate provides program leaders with credibility to train future TH practitioners at their own and other Ukrainian botanical gardens, thus expanding the use of TH in wartime and post-war Ukraine. 

Impact
The following numbers are estimates of the number of participants receiving TH services in 2024 at the five botanical gardens that offer programming.

• Lviv – 50 children with disabilities, 5 children with autism

• Gryshko Kyiv – In 8 TH groups, approximately 150 people experiencing psychological challenges from various sectors of the population including veterans, those who have been dislocated, and relatives of veterans

• Odesa – 567 young people with special needs, 750 cadets from a local military institute

• Kryvyi Rih – 642 participants including displaced families, veterans, older adults, children and adults with disabilities

• Chernivtsi – In 3 TH groups, 33 participants, including children and adolescents with cognitive disabilities; youth and older adults

Contact Anthony Allison, Co-Founder and Program Manager anthonypallison@gmail.com (206) 818-5284 Partnerships for Nature

Populations Served
Ukraine botanical garden personnel are trained and supported in this program, allowing them to serve diverse populations in wartime Ukraine, including veterans, displaced families, relatives of those who have perished in the war, older adults, and children with special needs.

Services Offered
Therapeutic horticulture programs are offered in five Ukraine botanical gardens and vary in participant needs, duration, frequency, structure, and site characteristics. The programs are all based on, or incorporate, principles of TH as described on the North Carolina Botanical Garden website.

Cost to Participate
The TH programs are typically offered free of charge, except in cases where service organizations contract with botanical gardens in advance for specific programs and have the means to pay. 

Staff Composition

• Partnerships for Nature Co-Founders and Program Managers Anthony Allison and Ariadna Reida

• Content Expert Emilee Weaver formerly Program Manager at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and currently at Root in Nature, a Canadian organization specializing in TH

• Ukrainian TH program leaders working at their respective botanical gardens

Program Funding
This program has been funded by Partnerships for Nature with additional grant funds from The Trust for Mutual Understanding and donations from US and overseas botanical gardens and individuals. Total program cost as of 2025 is approximately $22,000. 

Helping Ukraine Heal in the Media

Public Garden Magazine
Read: Healing Through Nature

Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Read: Therapeutic Horticulture Moves Forward in Wartime Ukraine Thanks to BGCI’s Generous Members

Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Read: Ukraine’s Botanical Gardens Earning Certificates in Therapeutic Horticulture!