The Ukrainian Society of Ergotherapists (USET) expresses its sincere gratitude to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) for its continued support of capacity building initiatives aimed at developing occupational therapy educational programs in Ukraine.
In July 2025 the second Train the Trainers Project for Ukrainian educators was conducted by Rehabilitation for Ukraine (Rehab4U) project funded by USAID, in collaboration with the WFOT and USET. Back in 2018, the first Train the Trainers project organized by WFOT in partnership with USET and the Ukrainian Catholic University led to the development and WFOT approval of the first occupational therapy educational program in Ukraine in 2021.
This year, representatives from eight Universities across Ukraine from Dnipro to Lviv participated in the hybrid training that focused on strengthening the existing curricula and fostering the development of additional education programs in Ukraine. We are delighted to see other Universities starting to work towards obtaining the WFOT approval of their occupational therapy educational programs.
Regarding the current state of occupational therapy in Ukraine: Amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the demand for rehabilitation services continues to increase. Over the past three years, membership of USET has tripled. Our recent achievements include the development of the new national standard for education of occupational therapists, and the developed structure and content of the mandatory national examination for occupational therapists. Advocacy efforts are also progressing towards the inclusion of occupational therapists in the provision of assistive technologies, return to work and home modifications services, and inclusion in the new models of rehabilitation in the community. We sincerely thank all WFOT member organizations for their ongoing support, consultations and sharing resources with us to make these efforts possible.