CONTEXT
This is Street Child’s first emergency response in Europe; we felt compelled to support the millions of displaced people in Ukraine by drawing on our extensive experience of ensuring that children can remain safe, in school and learning even in conflict environments. In emergent situations like this funding can end up being concentrated in the hands of international organizations, while local organizations - who are at the frontline and are best placed to respond immediately - are often forced to operate with limited funds.
Street Child believes that local organizations know best and have the most trusted relationships with the people they serve. They also know how and where to source essential items quickly and at lower cost, even when cash is scarce. Our aim is to ensure that local NGOs helping children in their communities have the resources they need to respond rapidly and effectively to changing circumstances.
Street Child is recognized for our agility in emergencies, and all contributions to our Ukraine Crisis Fundraiser will swiftly be in the hands of our vetted local partners, making a difference to the people who need it most.
WHAT WE ARE DOING
We are working with a range of local NGOs across Ukraine who are providing humanitarian relief to families who cannot flee as well as people displaced from other cities. We are also identifying local NGOs in neighboring countries, who are leading an incredible effort to provide new arrivals with the basics they need to adapt to life in a new country, as well as psychosocial and mental health support to address the trauma they have experienced in recent weeks.
PARTNERS
POSMISHKA, ZAPORIZHZHIA | UKRAINE
Our first partner in Ukraine, Posmishka – meaning Smile in Ukrainian – is providing life-saving humanitarian support to families who have found themselves displaced from their homes, particularly in the east of Ukraine, and are seeking safety, even temporarily, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Given their location, Posmishka’s team are working in highly dangerous circumstances, and are hopeful that there will be humanitarian corridors from the cities where they work to safer regions. In the meantime, with Street Child’s support, they are providing food, medicines and hygiene products to hundreds of people arriving in Zaporizhzhia from Mariupol and other towns in Donetsk region. They are planning to open mobile child friendly spaces in Ternopil (western Ukraine), where thousands of displaced people are arriving, seeking peace and safety.
BRIGHT KIDS, KYIV | UKRAINE
Led by a small and dedicated team in Kyiv, Bright Kids has long focused on supporting families with children with disabilities through economic empowerment, awareness-raising and to cover the cost of medical treatments.
Since the onset of the war, Bright Kids is providing cash transfers to the families who know and trust them, many of whom are unable to leave Kyiv because of their children’s mobility issues. With Street Child’s support, they will help 21 families buy groceries, diapers and high-nutrition food, a real lifeline at a time when Kyiv is under attack.
AIRLIGHT, TRUSKAVETS | UKRAINE
AirLight was founded to support people injured by attacks as part of the armed conflict in the Donbas region, which has been ongoing since 2014, helping them to gain disability status, as well as to advocate for better provisions for those affected by the conflict.
As a result of the war, AirLight’s team have had to relocate from eastern Ukraine to Truskavets, in Lviv Oblast. A grant from Street Child is enabling AirLight to provide case support to children in families which have been displaced twice as a result of eight years of conflict.
RIDNI, LVIV | UKRAINE
Ridni means “native” in Ukrainian, and as an NGO, Ridni aims to help highly vulnerable children feel at home within a familial environment through projects focused on art, education and health, and awareness raising. Since the war started, they have rapidly changed their operations to focus on meeting the needs of the thousands of children arriving in Lviv, either seeking refuge in the relative safety of the city, or on route to the Polish border. Many of these children are unaccompanied by parents or other relatives. They are also delivering humanitarian aid all over Ukraine, and where appropriate, supporting as many children – and their families – as possible to cross into Poland.
PROLISKA, UZHGOROD | UKRAINE
Proliska was originally set up in Kharkiv in 2014 in response to conflict in the Donbas region; however, in recent weeks, Proliska has been forced to relocate to Uzhgorod, in western Ukraine. This is a region which has welcomed large numbers of displaced people, many of whom are transiting through to Slovakia, as well as Hungary and Romania.
Thanks to Street Child’s support, Proliska will be supporting child friendly spaces in Zakarpattia, to provide respite for children who have witnessed the horrors of war in migrating across the country. Additionally, they are also providing psychosocial support in Kharkiv, and Bakhmut and Toretsk (Donetsk Oblast). Given that these latter regions are currently at high risk, where appropriate, the Proliska team may instead focus on evacuation of children with their caregivers to safer regions.
DONETSK YOUTH DEBATE CENTER | UKRAINE
Before the war started, the Donetsk Youth Debate Center primarily focused on youth empowerment, working closely with children and schoolteachers to build their confidence, and raise awareness of key issues such as gender-based violence.
Founded in Donetsk in 1997, the Center was forced to move to Kyiv as a result of armed conflict in the Donbas region since 2014; in recent weeks, the team has relocated again to Lviv. Now they are focused on distributing food, hygiene kits, medicine and baby supplies, primarily in eastern Ukraine where both need and risk are incredibly high.