RESILIENCE & RECOVERY
Three years on, we're supporting children and families in Ukraine and the region
THREE YEARS OF WAR
When full-scale war began in February 2022, all 7.5 million children’s lives in Ukraine were changed forever.
Over the past three years, children have been killed and injured. They’ve lost loved ones and friends. They’ve endured bombardments and spent countless hours sheltering in corridors and basements, seriously affecting their mental health.
- There was a 40% rise in child casualties in 2024 as a result of increasing air strikes and use of explosive weapons.
- Two million homes have been damaged or destroyed since the war began.
- Around 3,800 education facilities have also been destroyed or badly affected, meaning thousands of children have to study online.
- The percentage of children living in poverty has almost doubled to 82%.
Since the war began, we’ve been supporting children and families whose lives have been turned upside down.
In Ukraine, we've worked with local partners to provide basics like food, water and cash – as well as the essentials you can't carry, like emergency healthcare, education and mental health support.
In Poland, Lithuania and Romania, we've supported families who've fled the war, helping them settle in their new communities.
Over the past three years, we've continued providing families with urgent life-saving assistance while supporting longer-term recovery.
Keep scrolling to learn more about our impact together over the past three years.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE’VE HELPED OVER 4.6 MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING OVER 1.8 MILLION CHILDREN, IN UKRAINE AND THE REGION.
IN UKRAINE
TOGETHER WE'VE SUPPORTED MORE THAN 3.8 MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING ALMOST 1.5 MILLION CHILDREN, IN UKRAINE
Sonia Khush, Country Director for Save the Children in Ukraine, talks about assistance to a village in the Donetsk region.
Sonia Khush, Country Director for Save the Children in Ukraine, talks about assistance to a village in the Donetsk region.
Basic assistance
We've provided clean water and hygiene kits, with essentials like toothpaste and soap, to more than 2.6 million people who've fled their homes in search of safety.
Vsevolod Prokofiev, Media Manager for Save the Children in Ukraine, talks about our response to the attacks on Kyiv on the 8th July 2024.
Vsevolod Prokofiev, Media Manager for Save the Children in Ukraine, talks about our response to the attacks on Kyiv on the 8th July 2024.
Cash & livelihoods support
We've provided food and cash to over 472,000 people. This includes sending emergency cash to families within 72 hours of an attack. We're also providing small business grants to help families become more financially resilient.
Two-year-old Tetiana* at a Child Friendly Space supported by Save the Children in Ukraine.
Two-year-old Tetiana* at a Child Friendly Space supported by Save the Children in Ukraine.
Child Friendly Spaces
We've set up safe spaces for children and supported their mental health and wellbeing through art, play and activities – supporting more than 267,258 children.
Olena*, 16, and Maryna*, 17, use tablets during classes at a subway school in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Olena*, 16, and Maryna*, 17, use tablets during classes at a subway school in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Education
We've provided 322,969 children with education support, including setting up Digital Learning Centres, running catch-up classes, repairing schools and equipping students with school books, pens, laptops and tablets.
UNDERGROUND LEARNING
Six-year-old Artem* lives in Kharkiv, close to the front line in eastern Ukraine, and his city is regularly under threat from missiles and drones.
His mum, Olha*, says it’s not safe for children to attend schools or nurseries so many of them are missing out on their early years of education or are trying to start their first year of school online.
Artem’s teacher, Viktoriia*, says children’s psychological 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.
To help children get back to face-to-face learning, Save the Children has been supporting underground schools in metro stations across Kharkiv.
Artem started attending and says he loves seeing his friends and playing together. "We walk together, run around, and play. When a friend is in a bad mood, I hug them," he says.
Olha says she's already noticing the benefits to his learning, but also his social development. “Children need the metro school, so they have some form of social interaction. Some of them didn’t attend kindergarten, so they didn’t socialise a lot.”
With your support, we've helped hundreds of thousands of children like Artem to access the safe spaces they need to learn, play and grow, despite the war around them.
Artem*, 6, pictured at an underground school in Kharkiv.
Artem*, 6, pictured at an underground school in Kharkiv.
A Child Friendly Space run by a local partner in a bomb shelter in Sumy, Ukraine.
A Child Friendly Space run by a local partner in a bomb shelter in Sumy, Ukraine.
Collaboration with local partners
We're working with 25 partner organisations across Ukraine to help communities worst affected by this conflict. Many of these partners come from war-impacted communities, bringing valuable local knowledge and a deep understanding of the challenges families face.
For example, one partner, the League of Modern Women, based in the Sumy region which suffers intense hostilities, is providing safe spaces, emotional support and life skills training to help children cope and build resilience during this critical time
ACROSS THE REGION
TOGETHER WE'VE SUPPORTED MORE THAN 817,000 PEOPLE, INCLUDING ALMOST 335,800 CHILDREN, IN POLAND, ROMANIA AND LITHUANIA
Anzhela*, 8, plays with a computer in a Digital Learning Centre in Lodz, Poland.
Anzhela*, 8, plays with a computer in a Digital Learning Centre in Lodz, Poland.
POLAND
Around 985,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled to Poland, leaving everything behind them.
We've run Polish language classes and summer camps for children, as well as supporting their mental health through art therapy and other activities.
We've also supported parents with cash so they can buy what they need most for their children.
Milka*, 11, and Nastia*, 11, taking part in English lessons at our hub in Bucharest, Romania.
Milka*, 11, and Nastia*, 11, taking part in English lessons at our hub in Bucharest, Romania.
ROMANIA
Romania has been a key transit country for millions of families fleeing the war. Around 175,000 Ukrainian refugees live there today.
We've run eight Counselling Hubs where families can access local services, childcare and support, as well as cash assistance.
We're also supporting children's education and wellbeing through schools and extracurricular activities.
Oksana* with her children Polina*, 5, and Matvii*, 10, in Lithuania.
Oksana* with her children Polina*, 5, and Matvii*, 10, in Lithuania.
LITHUANIA
Around 92,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled to Lithuania.
Through our network of family support coordinators, we've provided essential items and helped families access local services.
We've provided cash to families with young children or single parents.
Finally, we've supported children's mental health and wellbeing through games and activities.
Meet Marko and see how we're helping children from Ukraine in Romania...
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
We’re committed to keep working hand-in-hand with communities to provide emergency assistance for as long as it’s needed, and support families on the road to recovery.
We will continue supporting safe access to education, improve digital learning and support teacher and student wellbeing. We will also provide cash and mental health support to families as strikes and attacks continue, while supporting longer-term recovery through small business grants and youth employability projects.
THANK YOU
With your support, our teams and partners were able to provide children with the support they needed these past three years – in Ukraine and across the region. Thank you for your solidarity with children and families through this war.
To continue helping children in Ukraine, and other emergencies around the world, support the Children's Emergency Fund.
Published by Save the Children International, February 2025
Note: Some reach figures for Ukraine may include double counting across multiple years.
*Names changed to protect privacy
Photo credits in order of appearance:
Denys* video: Oleksandr Khomenko/Save the Children.
Damaged building in Ukraine. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
A music school was bombed during the war in Ukraine. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Staff member unloads a truck with hygiene kits in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo: Anastasiia Olinska / Save the Children.
Kyrylo* and Yevhen* study in the school shelter during an air raid alert. Photo: Oleksandr Khomenko / Save the Children.
Playing in the playground in Dnipro, Ukraine. Photo: Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children.
Sonia Khush video: Anastasiia Olinska / Save the Children.
Vsevolod Prokofiev video: Vsevolod Prokofiev/ Save the Children
Tetiana* photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Olena* and Maryna* using tablets. Photo: Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children.
Artem* photo & video: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Local partner in a Child Friendly Space, Sumy. Photo: Sacha Myers / Save the Children.
Marko* taking part in an English lesson in Bucharest, Romania. Photo: Oksana Parafeniuk / Save the Children.
Anzhela* in a Digital Learning Center in Lodz. Photo: Paul Wu / DEC.
Milka* and Nastia* taking part in English lessons in Bucharest, Romania. Photo: Oksana Parafeniuk / Save the Children.
Oksana* with her children in Lithuania. Photo: Rasa Linkaite / Save the Children.
Marko* video: Save the Children.
Children leave handprints on a map of Ukraine during psychosocial activities in a collective centre for displaced families in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo: Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children.
Children playing at a collective centre for displaced families in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Video: Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children.
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