Two years on, the future of Ukraine’s children is at risk

Kyiv, Ukraine – “I just want my father back”, said 9-year-old Eva from Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast as she worried about him in the frontline of the war in Ukraine.

As the Ukraine’s crisis hits the two years mark, at least 3.3 million children like Eva need urgent support, including protection and education. She further lamented that not a week has passed without her online classes disrupted by the air alarms.

Eva’s teacher Roman raised concern is that children are losing a lot as this period is critical to their learning and brain development. Instead of focusing on their well-being and education, the children are faced with attacks, blackouts and uncertainty. UNICEF has highlighted the impact of the war on children’s mental health, with “fifty-six percent of parents in eastern regions sharing that their children are anxious or tense”.

“These children’s bright future hangs in the balance as the war continues. It is unimaginable why our world, with the technological advances we have reached, allows our children to suffer," says Chris Palusky, World Vision’s Ukraine Response Director.

Viktoriia, 12, now lives in Kyiv after fleeing Bakhmut with her parents. For months, she quietly suffered from loss and fear, and how to adjust to her new home, having left her friends and everything behind. The child-friendly space and activities organized by World Vision’s partner NGO Girls gave her hope. She realized she was not alone, and that she can still dream big despite of the war. “I want to become a diplomat”, she shares with conviction as she proudly shared her volunteering experience to help other children.

We have heard the voices of children like Eva and Viktoriia. From Lviv to Bakhmut, and in all of Ukraine’s war-ravaged villages, towns and cities, the children’s hopes and dreams can rise and fall by the strength and weakness of our commitment to back their voices, and campaign for their plight. This is not a sprint, we always reminded ourselves many times, this is for the long haul.

World Vision’s work has reached over 1.6 million people impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, over half of them are children, women and the most vulnerable. With an estimated 17 million in need, only the concerted efforts of organizations, donors, various partners, agencies and stakeholders can address their needs, urgently and consistently.

“This is the kind of challenge that we must not give up on, no matter how tough and complex. World Vision’s Vision for every child to have a life of fullness is a promise we must fulfill”, adds Palusky.

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World Vision is a Christian humanitarian and development organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.  World Vision and their partners are working in communities to improve families’ economic prospects, strength violence prevention and child protection services, and improve education systems.   World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

For media inquiries, please contact Cecil Laguardia @ cecil_laguardia@wvi.org, Communications Director