Dream Workshop NGO is a non-governmental organisation operating in Ukraine since 2015. The team supports people with mental and complex disabilities by developing community-based services, such as supported living houses and day centers. 

In 2023, Dream Workshop became the first organization in Ukraine to welcome people from psychiatric hospitals into supported living services. Institutions, especially Psychoneurological Institutions (PNIs), have proven to be extremely vulnerable during the war: hundreds of residents were relocated to even worse conditions, without access to support or choice. Hospitals and institutions are not only symbols of isolation, but also easy targets for shelling, and evacuating people with profound disabilities is nearly impossible. A decentralized system of small, community-based services is not only about quality of life, it is also about safety.

When the full-scale war began, we did not pause our efforts. We believe that Ukraine’s victory is impossible without deep transformations on the home front. Creating dignified, rights-based services is our way of resisting a system that has ignored the choice, dignity, and safety of people with disabilities for decades. We are building structures rooted in the values of a democratic society.

Today, 12 people live in the organisation's two supported living homes. Among them are Anzhelika, an internally displaced person from Kherson, and Maryna, who was evacuated from Kharkiv. These women experienced occupation, institutionalisation, and the loss of their homes. Now, they're living in a safe space where they are heard, supported, and respected. Watch a short video about Anzhelika here.

The organisation's day centres are attended 24 young people: they learn, cook, socialise, explore their cities, and gradually prepare for independent life. 

We are building communities that do not postpone human rights “until after the victory.” We know that change doesn’t wait for peace — it brings peace closer.