OUR WORK

Olha*, 42, lives with her daughter Arina*, 12 and twins Kateryna* and Yevhenii* who are 5, in Dnipro, Ukraine. Olha’s mother also lives with them. Their flat was damaged because of a missile attack on 29 December 2023 - the building they live in was just 200 meters away from where the rocket hit. When the situation became safer, the family returned to their flat to find out that windows were almost blown out, leaving gaps between window frames and walls. Temporarily fixed them with installation foam, but the windows require replacement. Save the Children has provided the family with cash to help repair their home. While Olha* was sorting out the cash assistance, Kateryna* and Yevhenii* got a chance to play with Save the Children staff members in the special area set up for children. Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children

Six-year-old Artem* misses his father, who was killed in the war in Ukraine. Artem lives in Kharkiv, close to the front line in eastern Ukraine, and his city is regularly under treat from missiles and drones. His mother Olha* (25) says a missile can hit within 30 seconds, so they don’t have time to get to a shelter and instead take cover in the corridor of their home when the air raid alert goes off. Olha says with their city under constant threat from bombing, it’s not safe for children to attend schools or kindergartens, as many of them don’t have a shelter where children can go if the air alert is activated. This means many children are missing out on their early years of education or are trying to start their first year of school online. Artem’s teacher, Viktoriia (46), says children’s phycological state in Kharkiv has been impacted by the war. She says children have become more anxious, struggle to concentrate, have forgotten how to play and how to communicate with each other. Since the war escalated in February 2022, all children in Ukraine are in grave danger of physical harm and severe emotional distress due to the ever-present threat of shelling and missile strikes. Thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed in Ukraine. Given the constant threat of bombardment and lack of schools with equipped shelter, the city of Kharkiv has resorted to setting up underground schools in its metro system to allow children at least some hours a day of face-to-face classes and the chance to interact with friends and fellow students. Artem has been attending one of the new metro schools for four weeks. He says he likes the metro school because his friends are there, and they can play together. Save the Children has supported more than 259,000 children with education support in Ukraine. We have set up Digital Learning Centres to provide students with access to learning, play and in-person support, repaired schools and kindergartens, including building 750 protective shelters for schools in front line areas, and provided catch-up classes for children who have missed months and years of education. We have also provided educational facilities – including the underground metro schools – with electronic equipment such as laptops and tablets and school kits for children, including a backpack, pencils and books. Artem received one of Save the Children’s school kits and the metro school he attends also received tablets. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

Our team in Kyiv is supporting a family who tragically lost their father during the air attack on April 24. A night strike took both the life of a father and the safety of a home from two daughters. Sadly, the war continues to affect every corner of Ukraine — the shelling has not ceased, and civilians are bearing the heavy cost. Save the Children is there for families who have lost everything — their loved ones, their homes, their sense of security. Many have nowhere to go. It’s difficult to put these emotions into words: we see tears in the eyes of those affected, but also deep gratitude for the support they receive. Anastasiia Olinska / Save the Children

A new water tower installed by Save the Children in a village just outside the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine to ensure stable water supplies to 480 of its residents, , including 59 children and 121 displaced persons, The old water tower in the village was damaged beyond repair by both shelling and stain and could no longer serve its purpose. Water tower replacement was funded by USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). Under BHA funding, a total of three water supply facilities have been rehabilitated in southern Ukraine. Rehabilitation works included installation of water pressure towers and replacement of pipelines to ensure stable water supplies for more than 15,000 people living in war-affected villages in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Katya Moskalyuk

Alevtyna*, 35, lives with her family in Dnipro region — an area close to the frontline that has also become home to many internally displaced families. She and her husband are raising three children: Anton*, 12, Mykhailo*, 10 and Anna*, 3, and run a small household with livestock, including a bull, goats, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. The family relies mainly on the husband’s income, social assistance, and child benefits. Winters are especially difficult, as illnesses and rising costs often stretch the family’s limited resources. Farming is an important part of their survival, but last year the harvest failed, adding to their challenges. With support from Save the Children, Alevtyna* received assistance to strengthen their household, including cash support and trainings. The family used the cash to buy a new motor for their agricultural machinery, buy fuel and seeds. Through training, Alevtyna* also gained practical knowledge on growing vegetables and improving soil quality — skills that help the family better sustain themselves despite the ongoing war. Danil Shevchenko / Save the Children

Ivanna* (35) has two children, Emiliya* (7) and Denis* (19 months) and is nine months pregnant with her third baby. They live in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine. Although Ivanna is determined to provide her children with the childhood they deserve, it can be almost impossible living so close to the frontline of the war in Ukraine. Right from his first moments, Denis’ life has been far from normal. Just hours after coming into the world, Ivanna had to take her newborn into the shelter in the hospital due to the air raid alert and the risk of bombings. Ivanna says she felt joy when Denis was born, but that it was also mixed with fear as they were surrounded by bombardments. While Denis is still too young to fully understand what’s happening, his older sister Emiliya is aware of the situation. She was four when the war started, and the family was caught in an occupied area when they went to stay with friends, which Ivanna says was terrifying. They couldn’t go outside and due to the tanks and helicopters surrounding the area. Emiliya became withdrawn and very attached to her parents. They slept in their clothes with their documents in their pockets, ready for anything that might happen. When the occupation ended, they returned to their home in Sumy and life was better, but since August 2024, the war has escalated in their area, and they go to sleep every night to the sound of drones and sirens. Save the Children’s support: Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014 and scaled up operations after the war escalated in February 2022. We’re working closely with multiple partners and have reached more than 240,000 children with protection services by establishing a country-wide network of 28 Child Friendly Spaces for children to play and communicate, as well as providing mental health and psychosocial support for children, parents and caregivers. Emiliya attends one of these Child Friendly Spaces in Sumy, and Ivanna says it’s made a huge difference to her daughters’ wellbeing and ability to communicate with other children. Ivanna says the facilitators show genuine care for the children and ensure they feel included and heard. Sacha Myers / Save the Children