Ukrainians struggle to stay warm and safe

 

Polina* hid in her grandmother’s  basement as shelling knocked out power and destroyed the neighbourhood . The night before she sadly said, “Oh, grandma, it’s my birthday tomorrow, and we’re sitting here without light, without anything…”

 

 

Her family did their best to make it special, making a cake with whatever they could find at home. Polina was terrified during the attacks. She hid  under her mother’s sweatshirt to feel safe and warm. No child should have to endure the violence and destruction of war, yet Polina and other Ukrainian children may be affected long-term by the trauma they have experienced.

Polina and her parents fled Ukraine, but her grandmother Larysa* stayed behind. Now, with the extreme cold this winter, Larysa struggles to keep her house warm. She heats bricks in a gas oven and then places them across her house for heat.

“Sometimes there is no light for 14 hours. And when there is no light, we have no heating. We turn on the gas oven and that’s how we keep ourselves warm. The oven is turned on around the clock. I will pay more for gas, but what else can I do? I would rather pay for gas than get sick,” says Larysa.

 

Families are doing whatever they can to stay warm and survive this winter. With no power, some have resorted to melting snow for water and leaving food on balconies instead of refrigerators.

Last October, the escalation of attacks damaged 40% of the electric grids in Ukraine according to the Ukrainian government. Following attacks against energy infrastructure in mid-December half the region was without power, leaving families without water and heating for almost three days.

Before winter, Save the Children multiplied efforts to deliver immediate aid to those in need but these efforts may be in vain as long as the attacks continues. Winter may prove to be just as devastating for children and families as the constant shelling and missiles.

Save the Children has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, delivering humanitarian aid to children and their families. Now, families are provided with cash assistance to repair damages to homes attacked in the conflict and to buy essential items. Also, blankets, winter jackets, and heaters are distributed to families in conflict zones and children are provided with access to education and psychosocial support to open up about how they are feeling.

If you would like to support children and families in Ukraine, please visit CEF.