For children and families, the situation in Ukraine has become a waking nightmare.
They’re hiding from air raids in basements, bomb shelters and crowded transit centers, cut off from their education and terrified for their lives. Too often, they’re falling victim to violence, hunger, disease and family separation. 1.5 million children have fled the country with whatever they can carry. And as attacks continue, the worst refugee crisis since World War II shows no signs of slowing down.
Armed conflict of any kind is detrimental to children’s well-being, straining access to every basic resource they need to grow up healthy and happy. Hundreds of thousands of children in Ukraine are in need of food, water and shelter, in addition to emergency medical care and psychological support. ChildFund and our supporters are working tirelessly to help these children survive and overcome the traumas of war.
“It is still impossible to believe that this is happening.”
-Darina, 12
Ukraine Through a Child’s Eyes
A child sits alone at a train station in western Ukraine, waiting to board the train to safety in Poland. According to UNICEF estimates, 55 children flee the country every second.
A girl at a ChildFund-supported children’s hospital in western Ukraine distracts herself from the sounds of war with games on a cell phone. Some children here are still waiting to be evacuated.
Families rush to board the train to safety in Poland.
A little girl and her mom enjoy a handclap together at a refugee shelter in northwestern Ukraine. There is no school or psychological support for children here, and little moments of playtime are treasured.
Adults comfort children at a school converted to a transit center in western Ukraine. The crowded conditions, lack of school and play activities are taking a steep toll on children’s mental health.
How does ChildFund help children in Ukraine?
ChildFund has had a footprint in the Ukraine since the 1990s, supporting children with programs to enhance their well-being and help them overcome the traumas of Ukraine’s war-torn past. Through our sister organization in the ChildFund Alliance, ChildFund Deutschland, we’ve continued to work through 12 different local partner organizations in western Ukraine since 2004.
Your support is allowing us to be there for these children in their time of most urgent need, helping to ...
- Provide food, medicine, diapers, hygiene supplies and other urgently needed items for hundreds of children sheltering in homes, transit centers, hospitals and orphanages.
- Evacuate children and families from areas of active armed conflict.
- Establish shelters and children’s support networks that provide virtual learning opportunities and psychological care for hundreds of children and young people.
Send comfort and hope to children in Ukraine.
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Your Help Matters
Watch ChildFund staff member Heather Moses explain the impact of your donations on real children’s lives.
To date, ChildFund supporters have been a lifeline for more than 2,000 children in Ukraine. Here’s some of what your support helped us accomplish so far ...
- In Luhansk, you helped evacuate a large group of children and teens from a train after its conductor was shot by armed forces.
- You helped establish a child support network in eastern Ukraine that’s providing hot meals in a school basement to children seeking protection from shelling.
- You helped purchase baby food and diapers for a southern Ukrainian town of 400,000 people about to be laid under siege.
- You contributed to the cost of a vehicle and fuel helping civilians in the war zone of Kyiv.
- You supported safe evacuation efforts for families in western Ukraine.
- You helped buy and distribute food and medicine to hundreds of children around the country.
- You supported a virtual learning program, led by 200 teachers around the country, that’s helping kids stay busy and distracted from their fear.