Our CEO Mark Waddington writes from Ukraine, where he has been visiting our teams to understand their progress with our strategy and its impact on children. During his trip, he’s witnessed the incredible work our teams are doing under extremely trying, dangerous conditions:
Yesterday was remarkable. We met one of our mobile teams in Bucha. They are on the road constantly – even when the air raid sirens and aerial bombing alerts go off – getting emergency aid to families that need it, and staying with them over weeks and months to help them with trauma counselling and therapy.
There has been a massive increase in anxiety, panic attacks and self-harm among teenagers since the Russian occupation here in Bucha. And mums, dads and grandparents are struggling too, making families especially vulnerable at a time when the cost of living is biting here in Ukraine so much worse than in most places.
Of the 15,000 children in the community here, our team have so far managed to work with 5,000. But some families need more help than others.
An unbearable loss, an incredible outcome
Ludmylla evacuated Mariupol with her 13 year old son Sasha, and 10 year old daughter Oksana. They were stopped by Russian soldiers as they tried to escape the carnage. Sasha was dragged out of the car. The soldiers filmed everything, including the moment they shot him dead. After posting their murder of Sasha online, the Russians let Ludmylla and Oksana, who was also injured, continue their evacuation.
Mother and daughter eventually made it to Bucha, a town bravely rebuilding itself after Russian occupation and the brutal massacre of more than 450 civilians by Russian forces.
Here, our mobile team are supporting Ludmylla and Oksana to establish a new home. They’ve found Oksana a place at a local school, helped mother and daughter to grieve and find hope – and in doing so, they’ve enabled one of the bravest, most wonderful things I have ever witnessed: Ludmylla has adopted a boy, Igor, whose parents had been killed. Three lives slowly but surely being rebuilt. Family.
Many of our team are from Bucha and personally endured the Russian occupation. They each have their stories. Their courage is remarkable. They get out of bed every morning determined to make children’s lives better. And they come together as a team, working in a way that can be scaled up by local and regional authorities, and more widely by the humanitarian sector – so that many more children than we could hope to reach alone can benefit.
A shelter, but not a home
This is a bomb shelter for children in an orphanage here in Ukraine. Imagine being in this windowless room – below ground, likely without electricity and light, probably without heating because the Russians are targeting the energy infrastructure – while drones and missiles fly above. There’s no parent or relative to provide comfort for the children here, to hold them tight and tell them everything will be ok.
That’s why we’re working with the authorities to get these children back to family, where they belong, as soon as possible.
