Four years ago, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Four years of air raids and displacement, of fear and uncertainty, of extraordinary courage. And through it all, one truth remains: children belong in families. Because even in war, orphanages are never the answer.
By the end of February 2026, Ukraine will have endured four years of full-scale aggression. The impact on children has been devastating:
- Nearly 3,000 children have been killed or injured
- 4.6 million people are internally displaced
- More than 1,600 education facilities and nearly 790 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed
- The poverty rate has surged to 37%
- Only four days in 2025 passed without drones or missile attacks
For children, the consequences are profound: interrupted schooling, sleepless nights, family separation. Trauma layered upon trauma. And yet, even in the midst of war, something remarkable is happening.
Families are being kept together, orphanages are being closed, and children are going Back to Family.
Protecting children from separation
Before the invasion, Ukraine already had one of the highest rates of child institutionalisation in Europe. War has amplified the problem. When families lose homes, livelihoods and support networks, separation becomes more likely. And in times of crisis, institutions can seem like a solution.
But we know the truth: 80% of children in orphanages are not orphans. Orphanages expose children to abuse and trafficking, and lead to physical and psychological trauma that can last a lifetime.
So instead of building more institutions, we’ve focused on strengthening families. In the past year alone, with your support, we have:
- supported 5,352 children and 2,441 families across Ukraine
- helped 101 children move out of institutions into family-based care
- closed two baby homes in the Dnipropetrovsk region
- placed 385 children into foster care
- provided specialist support to 204 foster families
Behind every number is a child, and a family refusing to give up.
Photo Credit: Chernenko Timofiy
Tetiana’s story: bringing her siblings home
When war tore Ukraine apart, Tetiana’s younger siblings were trapped in an orphanage in Turkey. They were frightened, alone, and desperate to come home.
Tetiana’s story is a years-long struggle. Aged just 17, she had tried to become the legal guardian for her brother and sisters, to keep them from being institutionalised. She was told she was too young, and the family was split apart. But Tetiana never stopped believing they belonged together.
When her siblings told her about the bullying, fear and violence inside the orphanage, she knew she had to act. With your support, Tetiana secured legal help, won guardianship, and made a 2000-mile journey across borders to bring them home.
Today, her siblings are Back to Family – safe in Tetiana’s care, beginning to heal from trauma, and finally surrounded by love. Even in war, family is where children belong.
Building systems that last
Even in wartime, reform has not stopped. Across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Volyn regions, we are:
- developing community-based social services
- training foster parents and social workers
- establishing Early Intervention Services for children with disabilities
- supporting the transformation and closure of institutions
In Kyiv region alone, new Early Intervention Services have been put into operation, ensuring that children with disabilities receive support within families and communities, not behind institutional walls. This is long-term, systemic change.
Because one day the war will end, and when it does Ukraine must not return to a system that separates children from their families.
Four years on, hope remains
There have been moments over these four years that feel almost unbearable. And yet we have also seen extraordinary resilience:
- Foster parents opening their homes to vulnerable children
- Social workers travelling along dangerous roads to reach families
- Communities rallying to prevent children entering institutions
We have seen children laugh on the Miracle Bus. We have seen teenagers find their voice, and families rebuilt. And we’re not stopping, because no child needs to be in an orphanage. There is always a better way. There is always a way Back to Family.
