World Vision delivers critical winter support to Ukraine’s displaced, as needs grow dire

As the biting February cold seeps into the air, Oksana pulls on another layer of clothing and hurries to the back of the house to fetch more firewood. In the small living room, a wood-burning stove lies in the left corner. 

The stove is the only way she can keep the two rooms in the rented house warm during long power blackouts. “Thankfully, we have a furnace that runs on wood, not electricity. At least we can keep warm when the lights go out,” says Oksana.

“Power outages are frequent, and when the power goes out, the water pumps stop working,” she goes on. No electricity means no water, and no heating. When it’s below freezing outside, the cold creeps inside in a matter of hours. “It doesn’t take long to feel it. Last winter, temperatures dropped to -25°C. It was unbearable,” she adds. 

She has been living in Chagor, a village in western Ukraine, for more than two years. It was the only safe place she could find when she fled Dnipro with her 11-year-old son, Oleksii, in October 2022.

“My son became afraid of birds because they reminded him of drones,” Oksana whispers, recalling the seven months of relentless bombardment. The basement was their only refuge, but the shrill explosions, freezing cold, and constant fear pushed them to leave. 

They didn’t know where they were headed, only that it had to be west. A friend of her husband’s offered two rooms in his house in Chagor. “We’re renting from him at a price far below market,” Oksana says. “It’s the only way we can manage.”

Oksana was supported by World Vision through the winterisation programme, receiving cash support of 21,000 UAH, which is about US$ 500. The programme aims to support families like Oksana’s go through the wintertime by providing cash to cover heating, utilities and other essential winter expenses. The initiative is possible through the support of World Vision Australia and World Vision Hong Kong.

With the amount received, she was able to buy firewood. “We bought 15 cords of firewood, hoping it will last us for three months. But if the temperature drops below -5°C, it could be gone in just a month,” she shares.

Oksana goes on, “It was a lifeline. If not for World Vision’s support, we couldn’t afford it. Until then, every bit of our income went toward utilities, my father’s treatment, and food.”

Family separation a reality in war-torn Ukraine 

Oksana and her son were forced to relocate west for their safety, while her husband remains in Dnipro. A swimming coach, he trains children from across eastern Ukraine. “He can’t leave now. He has a whole team of kids who rely on him,” she says.

When the war broke out, many of the children in his team lost their parents, most of them from Mariupol. In response, he felt an overwhelming responsibility to protect them, tutoring, providing shelter, and the support they so desperately needed.

Family separation has become an all-too-common reality in war-torn Ukraine. With males being called to the front lines, the widespread displacement, and the tragic loss of one or both parents, children often find themselves separated from their families. 

On average, 4% of households across the country have at least one child living apart from their family. The situation is even more dire in the eastern regions, where hostilities are more intense. 

“He misses his dad so much, and I miss my husband,” Oksana shares, her blue almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears. “The pain of being separated is so real. My son is suffering. He needs both of us.”

Of the 3.6 million internally displaced people inside Ukraine, nearly 60% are women, many of whom are left to bear the brunt of war alone. 

It’s not only family separation that the displaced mothers are facing, but also the hardships of regaining their livelihoods. Women increasingly find themselves taking on additional unpaid work, a consequence of rising unemployment and the emotional and financial strain of family separation.

Oksana, for instance, is still unemployed. She now shares two rented rooms with her elderly parents, who fled Kharkiv, a city in the northeast, close to the frontlines and under constant attack. Her father is critically ill and requires full-time care, and much of their income is directed toward his medical treatment. 

“I dream of the day the war will end,” she says, her eyes a blend of sorrow and hope. “We long to return home.”

Besides the winterisation initiatives, World Vision has been supporting families like Oksana’s with livelihoods, protection, mental health, education, basic needs and cash programmes. 

Through our winterization programme, we are focusing on three key initiatives: providing cash assistance to displaced and frontline communities to help cover heating and other essential winter costs; distributing generators, heaters, and power banks to shelters for the displaced; and supplying frontline communities with winterisation kits that include thermal blankets, hygiene items, portable gas stoves, and gas cylinders.

World Vision has reached over 2.1 million people affected by this war, and nearly 1 million of them are children. 

 Watch the vlog to see how World Vision is addressing winterisation needs in areas close to the front lines. 

Story and photos by Laurentia Jora, UCR Advocacy & Communications Manager