Help us support the SOS Children's Villages Ukraine Association
7.5 million Ukrainian children are in imminent danger and are already suffering the consequences of chronic violence and an increasingly precarious environment.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a military operation in Ukraine. The situation is already having devastating effects on children as they are forced to flee their homes, schools, and communities in search of safety.
After six long weeks of intense clashes across Ukraine, over 4 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighboring countries, and there are long queues at key border crossings in Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
The increasing intensity of the conflict has also internally displaced nearly 6.5 million children and families as Ukrainians try to flee conflict zones.
Unless the fighting stops, over 8 million Ukrainians are expected to be displaced by the crisis. This will include tens of thousands of unaccompanied and separated children.
Ongoing hostilities are also disrupting local supply chains and access to food and other basic necessities, hitting areas already affected by the conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts harder. Critical civilian infrastructure has been damaged, with reports of damage to schools, kindergartens, orphanages, hospitals, and water supply infrastructure.
In addition, attacks on critical infrastructure have cut off access to heating, electricity, water, and mobile communications. With impending shortages of food and essential supplies, the situation is becoming increasingly dire for those who remain in the country.
SOS Children's Villages has been responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine since 2014, providing essential assistance to vulnerable children and their families. This includes supporting their access to education, providing psychosocial support, distributing winter kits and hygiene kits, and building the capacity of social workers, teachers, and other specialists to identify trauma and assist at-risk children.
SOS Ukraine has teams on the ground in Luhansk, Kyiv, and Lviv, scaling up our humanitarian response. SOS is also preparing a regional response for refugees in neighboring countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION MATTERS. Help us support the SOS Children's Villages Ukraine Association by making donations. You have the option to donate in 2 ways until April 30, 2022:
- At checkout, you have the option to add a donation of your chosen amount. Every contribution is greatly appreciated, regardless of the amount. In return, as a thank you, we offer you a 10% discount on your next order.
- By contributing to our Go Fund Me, the link to which is https://gofund.me/fe3bdf52
The collected donations will be entirely passed on in your name to the SOS Children's Villages Ukraine Association and will be used to implement the program below.
SOS has responded to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine by implementing a program focused on 4 key areas:
- Resettlement assistance and safe shelter:
SOS Children's Villages supports vulnerable families displaced by the conflict by helping them find safe housing, coordinating movements from conflict zones, and addressing other urgent needs. To date, over 500,000 people in need (internally displaced) have received food, non-food items, relocation, and shelter through local implementing partners. Countless families in their programs in the Luhansk region have received basic support such as food, hygiene, and water.
The evacuation of children from residential institutions is carried out solely on the basis of mutual agreements between the Ukrainian and Polish governments. The Polish government verifies the legal status of all children entering Poland and implements anti-trafficking measures. The central transit point for children evacuated from residential institutions is in Stalowa Wola. Children stay there for a maximum of three days and are then housed in various specialized facilities in Poland. The Polish government has created a dedicated database for recording and tracking all children from residential institutions entering and being housed in Poland.
- Temporary alternative care:
The situation is particularly desperate for the 160,000 Ukrainian children living in alternative care settings such as orphanages and boarding schools. In the current crisis, institutions are alarmingly understaffed and struggling to provide primary care, psychosocial support, and assistance to children with disabilities. As a result, children in these settings are at increased risk of violence and neglect and are isolated with very low chances of evacuation. SOS Children's Villages Ukraine is working with the Ukrainian government to care for and protect these children.
- Protection from harm:
The SOS Children's Villages emergency response team is working with local governments and partners to ensure the safety of children and families. They coordinate with national governments and other humanitarian actors to identify, assist, and reunite children who have been separated from their families. They also provide mental health and psychosocial support to children, parents, and frontline staff.
- Health and food assistance:
Through the provision of cash assistance, SOS Children's Villages helps families affected by the conflict access food, clean water, hygiene materials, and essential medical supplies and services.
Thank you very much for your contribution,
Maggy Kloset
