The escalating conflict in Ukraine is posing an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children.
Eight years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine have already taken their toll on the region. Now, as hostilities spread across the country, it is children who will pay the highest price. As homes, schools and water treatment facilities are damaged, thousands of families could be forcibly displaced in the coming days.
Children will bear the brunt of this crisis. They need protection. Please donate to help Ukraine now.
WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN UKRAINE?
For the past eight years, armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has disrupted the lives of 3.4 million people, including 510,000 children, leaving them in need of humanitarian assistance.
Now, the intensifying hostilities and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 are creating an unprecedented crisis, putting the country’s 7.5 million children in immediate danger.
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and livelihoods of families, driving even more children into poverty. Access to quality health services is limited, and a recent polio outbreak has put even more pressure on the country’s already fragile healthcare system.
Water and sanitation systems, health facilities and schools have been damaged and destroyed in the conflict, affecting children’s health and safety. Schools have been shuttered, denying more than 355,500 children access to education.
To make matters even more dangerous, Ukraine is one of the world’s most mine-contaminated areas. The risk of stepping on a landmine is a stark and deadly reality for children.
Ukraine’s children urgently need our help. Please give now to help Ukraine.
HOW IS UNICEF RESPONDING TO THIS EMERGENCY?
UNICEF has been responding to the conflict in Ukraine since it started in 2014, providing safe water, child protection, healthcare and education. For the past eight years, we have been at the forefront of the humanitarian response in eastern Ukraine and are well-positioned to respond to the growing crisis.
We have expertise in responding to emergencies and have staff, field offices and partners across the country.
In response to growing humanitarian needs across the country, we are scaling up our efforts by:
1. Providing safe water and sanitation supplies in areas where critical infrastructure has been targeted;
2. Prepositioning health, hygiene and emergency education supplies close to communities near the conflict;
3. Supporting immunization and healthcare for children vulnerable to the ongoing polio outbreak;
4. Protecting children through safe spaces, psychosocial care and mine risk education;
5. Delivering emergency supplies to more than 60,000 people in areas affected by conflict.
