In the Kharkiv region, the country’s first chatbot “Turbotyk” was developed – a digital assistant to support children during the war

War brings incredible challenges to the whole society, but children suffer the most. They remain the most vulnerable category, facing the brutal consequences of conflicts: loss of relatives, homes, feeling of danger and lack of stability. During the war, providing support for children becomes a priority task for the state and international organizations.

Kharkiv Region, as a region that suffered significant destruction and losses due to the Russian invasion, demonstrates an example of an innovative approach to supporting children. Thanks to the cooperation of the Kharkiv OVA with UNICEF, it was here developed a unique project aimed at providing children with the necessary assistance is the Turbotyk chatbot. Iryna Tulyakova, head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care, took part in his presentation.

What is “Turbotik” and for whom it was created

Chatbot “Turbotyk” is the first digital tool in Ukraine, developed for children aged 6 to 18 who are in alternative forms of education. This project, initiated by the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration with the support of UNICEF, aims to provide psychological support, response to crisis situations and access to educational materials.

The main functions of “Turbotics”

• Psychological help – children can seek advice from psychologists at any time.
• Responding to dangerous situations – chat–the bot is able to instantly transmit information about crisis events to the relevant services.
• Educational and cognitive materials – through the chatbot, children get access to useful resources that help them develop even in difficult conditions.

You can use the chatbot through Telegram, Viber, and soon through WhatsApp. To guarantee information security, “Turbotyk” has a separate database that confidentially collects and stores all received data.

Pilot launch and future scaling

The first community where “Turbotyk” will start working in the test mode will be the Kegichev territorial community. If the pilot project shows positive results, this development is planned to be scaled to other communities of the Kharkiv region and, probably, to the whole of Ukraine.

In the Kharkiv region, the following are currently operating:

• 133 family-type children’s homes, in which 885 privileged children are educated;
• 226 foster families, where there are 378 children of the preferential category.

Turbotik will be an important tool to support these children, providing them with access to information and help that is sometimes vital.

Features and significance of the project

Round-the-clock access to professional help and ease of use make Turbotik a unique tool in the fight against the consequences of war. The project has the potential to become an example for the creation of similar applications at the level of the entire country.

The head of the Coordinating Center for the Development of Family Education and Child Care, Iryna Tulyakova, emphasized that this project demonstrates how innovative technologies can contribute to the protection of children’s rights in the most difficult circumstances.

Cooperation for the future

The project is implemented thanks to the partnership of Kharkiv OVA with UNICEF. Such cooperation is an illustrative example of how the combined efforts of government bodies, international organizations and the community can create effective tools to support children.

At a time when war continues to cause pain, “Turbotik” symbolizes concern for the future generation. He reminds that even in the most difficult conditions there is an opportunity to help, support and give children hope for a better tomorrow.