ChildFund has been working in Ukraine since 2004 in a variety of areas and in all major regions of the country. Since 2014/15, ChildFund´s involvement has grown significantly.
Working through partners, ChildFund will support war victims, especially children and families who have lost their homes, and will provide assistance to evacuating orphanages.
The support provided by ChildFund will help buying and distributing food, medicine and other basic items. In addition, in South Western Ukraine a major psychosocial program for children has been started. Children do not go to school, but are simply stay at home, while their whole family is under pressure of fear and uncertainty. Through a network of (currently more than 90) teachers online lessons have been organized. Teachers work with children online. It is also possible to buy plasticine and deliver it to households; children then can play at home and are actively distracted from the horrible events around them. (The program with plasticine applies in cities without active fighting.)
It is now getting more and more difficult to buy food or medicine. In most cases, this is a result of curfew and otherwise restricted mobility; only in few cases, it is caused by a shortage of products. Over the weekend, a sharp fuel shortage hit the country.
Since Sunday February 27, relief activities in Ukraine´s capital Kiev are no longer possible; there is too heavy fighting inside Kiev. The South Eastern metropolis Mariupol cannot be reached since Feb 27; the town is completely cut off the outside world. The Western Ukrainian metropolis Lviv is more or less ´empty´ (no food, no medicine and no fuel) since so many refugees heading West purchased their daily needs from Lviv.
ChildFund agreed with the partner organizations on a two-days-rhythm of adjusting support programs and supplying funds. Currently, this support can be secured in various regions of Ukraine. Partner organizations have to be flexible where and how the support program is
implemented.
For security reasons, we are not able to identify our partner organizations by name. For the time being, reporting is only possible by telephone, which is unusual, but unavoidable.
We will try to secure a more systematic and ´normal´ relief activity as soon as the circumstances and conditions allow.
Here is a 15 year old Ivanka from Vinnytsia. “This is the third day of war. It’s my birthday. Because of yet another air raid alert, I had to spend my birthday in the bomb shelter. It’s very sad, but I am smiling for the photo.”
22 year old Katya from Kherson region says: “it is awful that this is now the door to my life, to a place where I might survive”.
6 year old Lesha. His father is at war, his mother is a volunteer. “ I want my father to come back alive!”
This is an 8 year old Misha from Zaporozhye:
– “Grandma, let’s run faster!!! This is my first air raid alert!!! And yours?”
– “It’s also the first one for me, dear!”
This is Tamara from Kyiv. Tamara is in the bomb shelter. “When I was packing for the bomb shelter, I wanted to take pictures from the family album: pictures of my husband and I, pictures of our parents, our children, our granddaughter. I couldn’t choose what to take. All pictures are so beautiful.”
This is an 11 year old Masha and her cat Safira. Masha has a high temperature of 39C. Masha says: “ I won’t go anywhere without Safira. Can we also please bring Safira’s favourite toy so that Safira is not afraid”
33 year old Julia and her 1 year old daughter Eva. They are from Zaporozhye. “We often have to sleep in the bomb shelter!! Like any mother, I want to protect my baby”
23 year old Ruslana, a medical student from Zaporozhye. “It is scary when I have to jump out of bed at night and run to the bomb shelter. I grab my dog before I take anything else. My dog is most important”
This is a 74 year old Tatiana from Kyiv with her cat Arbuz ( Arbuz means watermelon)
42 year old Anna says: “I thought that the scariest day of my life was on February 8, 2022 when I found my mother in her house with a massive heart attack. Miracle happened and my mother was saved. But when the war came on the morning of the 24th, I went home to my children. My father, who is suffering from cancer, had to be urgently discharged from the hospital to look after my mother. Now I don’t know which day was the scariest day of my life.”
9 year old Timur says: “I always bring my book with me. When I read, I am not so scared”
36 year old Vitalya with 1.5 year old Avdey. Vitalia: “We had to leave our apartment, we are now near Kyiv. We could only bring the most essential things and didn’t have time to take any belongings that mean so much to us. This is very sad”
