Ukraine Two Years On
Who: SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine
What: The war in Ukraine has been disrupting the lives of millions of children, denying their human rights and driving families apart.
Over the two past years, the war in Ukraine has been disrupting the lives of millions of children, denying their human rights and driving families apart. An entire generation of children risk growing up without the care and support they need.
Since the start of the war, 10,153 children have lost parental care, of which 1,610 have lost both parents and lack any relatives to care for them. And numbers continue to rise as the war goes on.
SOS Children’s Villages has been present in Ukraine for 20 years and has hands-on experience with issues faced by foster families and children without parental care.
Since the outbreak of the war, SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine has expanded its territorial presence and geographical coverage due to the implementation of new programmes and projects. We must join hands to ensure that children and families are protected and receive dedicated care during, and after, the conflict.
Children at risk of growing up alone must receive the care they need
Children without parental care are one of the most vulnerable groups during armed conflicts, at high risk of abandonment, neglect, violence, and trafficking. They are often left without basic resources or the possibility to flee war zones.
There are millions of internally displaced persons in Ukraine right now. Many managed to establish themselves in new places, but many more still need humanitarian help.
In addition, millions of children and adults will be traumatised by this war and need mental health and psychosocial support services.
— The war has separated many families. Tragically, with over 10,000 civilian casualties, children are losing parents or caregivers every day, says Serhii Lukashov, National Director of SOS Children's Villages Ukraine says.
How SOS Children’s Villages is helping
By the end of 2023, 370,000 children and families from Ukraine received humanitarian support. Of this, almost 200,000 received shelter, food, cash, and mental health support from SOS Children’s Villages.
SOS Children’s Villages provides emergency aid to adults and children and commits to continue doing so for as long as the people need it.
We have been helping evacuate people, provide quality shelter, protection, and medical attention, and keep siblings together. We’re also actively providing additional support for SOS Children’s Villages foster families, including transfer to relatively safer regions and abroad.
We have also created a special Ukraine Emergency Response team to organise targeted help for people from Ukraine, in line with humanitarian standards.
Bringing abducted children home
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, over 19,000 Ukrainian children have been separated from their parents and taken to Russia.
A total of 385 deported children have been returned to Ukraine so far, 84 of them with support from SOS Children’s Villages and our partner organisations.
— We support parents and guardians in obtaining the necessary documents, explains Serhii Lukashov, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages in Ukraine.
— We work with them to plan the route, cover the costs, and provide instructions on how to behave at border posts and how to speak to the relevant authorities.
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