Through our partnership with the World Childhood Foundation, we’re strengthening family care and child protection in Ukraine, preventing at-risk children from ending up in institutions. Read three stories of hope from our Ukraine Team.
In communities across the Dnipropetrovsk region, families are facing extraordinary challenges. War, displacement and poverty have pushed many parents to breaking point. Yet amid the hardship, remarkable stories of strength and recovery are emerging.
With support from the World Childhood Foundation, our Strengthening Family Care and Child Protection in Ukraine project is helping families in crisis to stay together and rebuild their lives. From providing specialist counselling and speech therapy to securing safe homes and empowering parents with new skills, the project is preventing children from being separated from their families and placed in institutions.
With only three case managers, we have so far achieved positive outcomes in 86 families, preventing the separation of 232 children, including 126 under the age of 6. Of children already removed, 47 were prevented from entering institutions: 4 were reintegrated to their families, 42 were placed in family-based settings, and one in the process of moving to a new family.
Every day, our dedicated team of case managers and family assistants work alongside local authorities, teachers, and doctors to ensure that children grow up where they belong – in loving, protective families. These stories from Svitlana, Oksana, and Mariia are what that support looks like in action. They show how compassion, community and persistence can transform despair into hope.
Svitlana & Olena’s story
Svitlana grew up in hardship, scarred by neglect, loss and the trauma of an orphanage. She always dreamed of giving her daughter a different life – but poverty, disability and alcohol dependence put her little girl Olena at risk of being taken away.
“Since I was little, I lived in constant fear, wondering what tomorrow would bring, or whether there would be anything to eat,” Svitlana remembers of her own childhood.
When our case manager first met the family, their situation was bleak: an empty home, no food, no stability. But Olena’s spark, her cheerful stories and her dream of a Barbie doll, was a light of hope. Together with Svitlana, we built a family support plan, tackling urgent needs and addressing deeper struggles.
Through counselling, addiction treatment, parenting support, and help accessing social benefits, Svitlana began to rebuild her life. Volunteers helped furnish their single room, while donors made Olena’s dream come true – not just one Barbie doll, but three.
“If they had taken Olena to an institution, that would have been the end of me,” Svitlana admits. “I know what it’s like to be abandoned, and I will do everything to make sure my child never goes through the same.”
Today, Olena is thriving at kindergarten and growing up at home, safe in her mother’s love. Our work continues to support Svitlana as she takes her next steps, including her dream of being fitted with a prosthetic limb.
“If they had taken Olena to an institution, that would have been the end of me.”
Oksana’s story
Oksana, a mother of three, fled domestic violence hoping for safety. Instead, she faced isolation, poverty and the risk of losing her children. By the time we met her, the local authorities were preparing to remove them.
“I felt so alone – no work, no support, no way to give my children what they needed,” she recalls.
Working with our Family Assistant, Oksana began to find hope again. The first steps were small: cleaning the house, planting flowers together. But they created a sense of unity. Soon, with support, the children received clothes, school supplies and nutritious food.
The older children, Yaroslav and Kateryna, moved from a boarding school back into the local school and quickly excelled. Four-year-old Ihor started preschool, making friends and giving Oksana the chance to take on part-time work.
The family home was repaired and became warm and safe. For the first time, Oksana could look forward with hope.
“Now my children smile again,” Oksana says softly. “We are together, and we are moving forward.”
Step by step, this once fragile family is growing stronger, proving that with the right support, families can be kept together.
“Now my children smile again. We are together, and we are moving forward.”
Mariia and Daryna’s story
At just 22, Mariia was struggling to raise her daughter Daryna after escaping years of violence. Depression, unemployment and loneliness left her on the edge of despair.
“I felt lost, with no way out,” Mariia admits. “But I held on to hope that one day I could change things for my daughter.”
When our case manager first visited, the home was bare and Daryna lacked a safe space to grow. We began with kindness and practical support: food, clothing, and toys that brought smiles back to Daryna’s face.
Soon, Mariia secured her first steady job as a cleaner with the municipal service, thanks to advocacy with the local community. Specialists also worked with Daryna, improving her speech and confidence.
With regular psychological support, Mariia grew stronger and more resilient. She found the courage to report her abuser, receiving a restraining order that finally gave her and her daughter safety.
“Now I can plan for our future,” Mariia says proudly. “I enjoy reading with Daryna, taking her to the playground, and simply being her mum.”
Today, Mariia and Daryna are rebuilding their bond in a safe home filled with laughter – proof that even after violence and despair, new hope is possible.
“Now I can plan for our future. I enjoy reading with Daryna and simply being her mum.”
If you’d like to help support another child to find their way Back to Family, please make a kind donation and help turn that wish into reality.
*To ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support, the names of the children and relatives featured in this story have been changed.
