Child hand holding bullets
Ukraine – April 6 2018

One million Ukraine children need humanitarian assistance

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has left one million children desperately in need of humanitarian assistance and 250,000 displaced. As hostilities continue, the number of civilian casualties is on the rise and critical infrastructure, such as water and electricity systems, have been destroyed.

Family separation is a major issue. Many families have been divided by the line of contact between government and independent controlled areas, and crossing the checkpoint, which is only accessible by foot, can take up to twelve hours and be incredibly dangerous.

SOS Children’s Villages has been supporting children and families impacted by the conflict since it began in 2014, providing emergency aid, trauma counselling, healthcare, educational support and helping to prevent family separation and ensure children do not lose parental care.

We are the only organisation providing comprehensive support on both sides of the line of contact, with programmes in Luhansk, Starobilsk, Sievierodonetsk, Stanitsa Luhanskaya and Kiev. 

SOS Ukraine emergency reponse project manager Rzayeva said: “The war is putting incredible pressure on families and children. They face psychological problems, trauma, fear and family separation.
 
“Many of our own staff in the area are internally displaced themselves and they understand the difficulties and are helping and supporting others in the same situation. Our social workers know the individual families, their problems, their successes and they work together to identify their needs.”

SOS Children’s Villages is working in Ukraine to provide:
  • Education, skills development and school supplies
  • Healthcare for vulnerable families
  • Mobile play buses for children in conflict areas
  • Trauma counselling
  • Food, hygiene items and clothing for displaced children
  • Support for displaced families to become self-sufficient
  • Training for teachers, social workers and other specialists to identify trauma and assist at-risk children
 
You can find out more information about SOS Children’s Villages emergency relief operations here.

Notes to editors:
For media enquiries please contact Lucy Prioli at Lucy.Prioli@sosuk.org or on 01223 222 974.