Ukraine – February 24 2022

War in Ukraine: ‘We are on the side of children’

Help children and families in Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine. Martial law is in effect in Ukraine. Massive shelling is reported in the town of Stanytsia Luhanska, where the social centre of SOS Children’s Villages has been closed since 17 February, and part of the staff relocated. Until now, we have not been informed of any casualties among the children, parents and staff from the programmes of SOS Children’s Villages in Stanytsia Luhanska.

At around 12:00 pm local time (CET+1), the town of Brovary, Kyiv region, was under attack. The colleagues and programme participants who were in the SOS Children’s Village Brovary at the time, took temporary refuge in a bomb shelter. All are unharmed. Ground battles are being fought in Starobilsk, in eastern Ukraine, near the social centre of SOS Children’s Villages.

Serhii Lukashov, national director of SOS Children’s Villages in Ukraine, says: "We all feel helpless, and we all want the war to stop. Our top priority is to protect as many children as we can. We want children to grow up without hate.”

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SOS Children’s Villages in Ukraine: SOS Children’s Villages began working in Ukraine in 2003, and in 2010 opened the first SOS Children’s Village in Brovary, Kyiv region. The work in Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, began in 2012, and was reorganised in 2014 to respond to the needs of children and families on both sides of the contact line. The programme in Luhansk City (the non-government controlled area) is to close by April 2022.

Programs of SOS Children's Villages in Ukraine include:

  • Family Strengthening: Since 2003 we have been supporting families who are at risk of breaking down. The help we provide varies depending on the needs of each family but can include counselling, social and material support. We also run workshops on topics relating to child protection and health.
  • Foster Family Care: Children without parental care find a loving home in one of the SOS families. The families have the legal status of "foster families" and receive all the support they need from SOS Children's Villages. We also provide short-term care for children in crisis situations. The children stay with us (usually less than six months) until they can return to their families or move to another form of family-based care.
  • Emergency Response: We support both families who are living in the conflict areas and those who have been internally displaced. We provide medical, educational, and social support. The need for psychotherapy has tri[1]pled since autumn 2015. In 2015, and despite the dangerous working conditions, we reached over 300 internally displaced children in the Kyiv region and over 160 in the Lugansk region.
  • Youth Program: We support young people to gain the necessary skills and develop their talents to help them find employment and become independent.
  • Advocacy: SOS Children's Villages works with the government and other agencies to promote social reform that improves the rights of children in the country.

Learn more about SOS Ukraine: https://sos-ukraine.org/

Help children and families in Ukraine