For years, Galina was desperate to escape her abusive marriage. But she knew that if she left with nowhere to go, her son Ivan* would be at risk of being sent to an orphanage.

But thanks to the pioneering family support services we’ve developed in Ukraine, Galina and Ivan were given the temporary safe haven they needed to make a fresh start and specialist support to rebuild their life together.

Galina’s story

For years, Galina was trapped in an abusive marriage.

“I had violence in my home,” she told us, “I didn’t feel like a person. So, I wanted to save our family but we fought all the time, and I didn’t know what to do. I thought about taking my life”. She knew that if she left with nowhere to live, Ivan and her older son, Roman*, might both be taken from her and sent to live in an orphanage with no one to love or protect them.

“I had violence in my home. I didn’t feel like a person.”

Refusing to be separated from her boys, she stayed put.

Over time, Galina witnessed the impact the violence was having on her children.

“The boys were beginning to imitate their father’s behaviour. They treated me as if I wasn’t human.”

That was the final straw. Galina knew she needed out. But she had nowhere to go.

Reaching out

Eventually, Galina called social services and asked for help. Thankfully, they referred her to one of our Family Support Centres.

Our Family Support Centres were developed in partnership with the local authorities in Ukraine. They’re designed to be a net for families at risk of falling through the cracks – protecting any children from being sent to an orphanage.

Twenty-four hours after arriving at our centre, we brought Galina, Ivan and Roman to stay in the Centre’s Mother and Baby Unit. This was the lifeline Galina had been praying for. Now, she had somewhere safe to stay with her children while she worked out what to do next.

Healing

As well as a comfortable room of their own and access to a shared kitchen, bathroom and living facilities, Galina and the boys received counselling to help them overcome the trauma they’d experienced and improve their relationships with one another.

“Now they hug and kiss me. We can talk together and discuss problems. We have started to learn English together”

Galina says she was scared when her husband discovered where she was and tried to see her. But staff at the Centre reassured her that she was safe and helped her find the courage to stick by her decision. Now, she says she feels much stronger. She has divorced her husband, and he must pay maintenance for the boys.

Looking to the future

Now, Galina works long hours in a factory that makes train wheels. She wishes she had more time to spend with her sons, but her job means she has been able to take a loan to buy a small flat. Staff at the Family Centre have helped to raise funds to pay for the property to be refurbished. With that added support, Galina was able to build a new beginning for her boys.

“I feel more positive now,” Galina says with a big smile, adding “I will be grateful all my life for the help I’ve been given. Here help is not just words. It’s real”.

Want to hear more incredible stories about the impact of your donations? Sign up to our Mailing List and receive more heartwarming and inspiring examples of children finding their way #BackToFamily.

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* Names changed to protect identities.

The post “Here, help is not just words. It’s real” – Galina’s story appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has created one of the largest humanitarian disasters Europe has seen since World War II. But through the chaos of war, we’re hearing stories of support, warmth and solidarity. Stories of people bringing strength back to family.

Your continued generosity has helped thousands of children throughout the war. Often, it’s been the lifeline that’s helped families on their road to recovery. Families like Olga’s.

Olga’s story

Olga, 41, lives in Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olga has been doing everything she can to protect her four young children, including five-year-old Nikita*.

“The war has scared my children a lot. My eldest two know what a war is. They’ve felt it since 2014.”  

Olga, a mother and former police officer.

Like countless families across Ukraine, Olga’s has endured Russian aggression for nearly a decade. In 2016, tragedy struck when her two eldest daughters lost their dad to the fighting. Years later, Olga re-married and gave birth to two sons, Nikita and Natan*.

But then, in March 2022, everything changed when Russian aggression escalated into an all-out invasion. 

How Olga escaped the Russian invasion

When Russia invaded Olga’s hometown, the family was forced to flee. Overnight, Olga became a refugee.

“When the full-scale war started last year, to protect my children, I went to Poland with all four of them,” says Olga. “My younger children were very frightened by all the explosions and all the chaos that followed, and having to hide in air raid shelters just to save their lives.”

Her husband, Matvii*, stayed behind in Fastiv, volunteering psychological support for the Ukrainian military. Alone in a new country with four children, Olga bravely held her family together.

A refugee crisis

According to UNHCR, one in three people in Ukraine have been forced to flee their homes. 6.3 million became refugees, like Olga. And 14.6 million still need urgent humanitarian support.

Thankfully, because of the generosity of people like you, we’ve been there. On the ground. Day in, day out. Helping families in crisis.

Head to our Ukraine: Two Years On report to see how your donations have been helping children and families through the war.

The psychological impact of war

Sadly, the exposure to violence and war took its toll on all of Olga’s children. Over time, Olga noticed how much it was impacting Nikita.

“He was very scared, his psychological state was not okay,” remembers Olga. “When we returned to Ukraine, I could see his speech development was delayed. He couldn’t speak like other children.”

The trauma of war can permanently damage a child’s development, even their ability to speak. In Ukraine, this poses an even greater threat because authorities frequently place children needing specialist education in orphanages, even if they have living parents.

The Children’s Spot

To support children like Nikita, our team opened a Children’s Spot in Fastiv – a community centre on the grounds of Fastiv Hospital where parents can access free psychological support for their children.

Without this, our community would have a mental health crisis. Hundreds of children would face the risk of being placed in an orphanage.

Iryna Pustovii, Head of the Children’s Spot, Fastiv.

Learn more about the Children’s Spot and how your donations are helping children through the war.

Nikita’s road to recovery

Olga started taking Nikita to the Children’s Spot once a week, where he saw a psychologist and attended sensory therapy and speech therapy. Soon after, he’d improved drastically.

“As a result of our visits to the Children’s Spot, I noticed Nikita started to get better. He can even sleep well at night now. He’s not afraid of the air sirens and attacks.”

Olga, Nikita’s mother.

Thanks to his speech therapy sessions, Nikita was able to develop his communication skills. “He can completely understand me now, and can give me a meaningful answer,” says Olga. “He can tell me a story. This means I can better understand his behaviour and know how to react.” 

A brighter future for Ukrainian children

Thanks to the Children’s Spot, 383 other children like Nikita have received the support they needed to recover from their traumas. In this way, we’re helping to secure a brighter future for the youngest generation of Ukrainians.

“The Children’s Spot is so important because every child’s mental health has been impacted by the war,” explains Olga. “I want my child, my Niki, to go to school and have good knowledge. But my first and foremost dream is what all Ukrainians dream of. Our victory.”

Thank you

Inspired by Olga’s journey of resilience and hope? Be part of a movement that transforms lives and supports families in their toughest times.

By signing up for our mailing list, you’ll receive powerful stories, urgent updates, and exclusive opportunities to get involved. Together, we can create a world where no family has to face hardship alone.

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The post “Being a mum is difficult even when everything’s normal. It’s even more difficult during a war” – Olga’s* story appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“There is no love there. Children have food, clothes and maybe even toys, but they lack affection and care.” 

These are the words of Kseniia, a nurse turned whistleblower. For five years, she saw children in an orphanage in Ukraine endure violence, abuse and neglect, before being evacuated to safety in the Russian invasion.

Two years on, Kseniia wants to get these children back to family, as 80% have parents who could care for them at home. And she wants the doors to her old orphanage to remain closed forever.

Because in times of war, there’s nothing more important than family. 

Will you help us bring separated children back to family? Donate today. 

Orphanages exposed 

Kseniia started working as a nurse in an orphanage ten years ago. The living conditions shocked her immediately. “The children were not treated well there,’ Kseniia remembers. “They were hit on their hands, legs and backside with rods.”

Understaffed and overcrowded, Kseniia’s orphanage often had just one carer to fifteen children. The results were often violent. 

“When they were shouting or crying too much, the children were put under cold water. Or, they would turn the kids upside down, hold them by their feet and shake them.” 

The orphanage was also known as a ‘baby home.’ All children living inside were aged between zero and four. 

Abuse inside orphanages

For the next five years, Kseniia tried to protect the children under her care. But whenever she spoke out, she was silenced.

“Some colleagues didn’t like how I treated the children kindly and softly,” she says. “They said I was spoiling them. As a result, I was treated cruelly, and surely the kids were too.” 

Several children had disabilities and needed specialist support. But without the proper equipment or enough resources, the staff would strap them down. 

“We’d get visits from children living in other orphanages,” Kseniia remembers. “They told us that older children were being sexually violent with smaller ones.”

“Seeing some members of staff abusing children, and knowing about the physical, sexual or psychological violence, I felt very bad because I knew I couldn’t prevent it. All I could do was leave my job.” 

A broken system

Sadly, Kseniia orphanage was just one of 700 state-run institutions operating in Ukraine before the war.

Over 100,000 children lived inside them, an estimated 90% of whom had living parents who could take care of them. Instead of supporting families to overcome poverty or other challenges, a broken system separates children from their parents. Parents like Olena*.

Olena’s children were taken away from her and placed in an orphanage in Ukraine for two years, all because she couldn’t afford child care. “They didn’t even ask me if I wanted to send my children to an orphanage,” she says. “I grew up in one myself. I know how hard it really is.”

Olena, 41, holding her youngest daughter, Zlata*, one.
Halyna Kravets / Hope and Homes for Children

Read more about why children end up in orphanages on our website.

The importance of family

Unable to change the system from within, since quitting Kseniia is committed to raising awareness of the harms of orphanages.

“As a mother, I can’t even imagine how it’d feel if my children were taken away and placed in an orphanage,” she says. “They’d be mistreated, and there’d be nothing I could do about it.” 

“In orphanages, children feel like they’re in a prison,” Kseniia continues. “They’re fed, taken care of and put to bed, but it’s all on a very strict schedule. There were people there who treat children well, who love them and come to work for the sake of children, but you also have those who think it’s only a job.”

Even the best orphanages can’t provide what children need more than anything. Individual love and care. 

“It doesn’t matter how many toys there are, how clean it is, or how well the children are fed. In an orphanage, they’ll still lack the support that exists in any family where children are loved.” 

How the war impacts children inside orphanages

“During the war, making sure children get into families and receive psychological protection is more important than ever,” Kseniia says. “These children were already suffering because they weren’t with their parents.”

“When the war started, most of the orphanages closed in one day,” explains Yana Polishko, one of our case workers in Ukraine. “Some children were evacuated abroad, or to safe spaces in Ukraine. And some were evacuated home to their families. Where possible, we want these children to stay home. From violence to abandonment, children should not be subjected to the horrible impacts of institutions.” 

“Institutions are full of defenceless children who are lonely and scared. In wartime, it’s not safe to have children in large groups at one place. It’s much better for children to be with parents who can always take care of them.” 

How can you help support children from orphanages? 

As of February 2024, our team in Ukraine has prevented the separation of 12,958 children from 6,474 families due to the war in Ukraine. But as countless families still endure violence, displacement, and the loss of loved ones, there’s still a need for urgent support to help keep families together.

“It’s very difficult for some families to manage,” explains Yana. “They lost their jobs, there’s problems with electricity, and the prices for food and utilities almost doubled. Some and children have had to flee war.” 

That’s why we’re providing war-torn families with urgent financial, humanitarian and psychological support – whatever they need to stay together in times of crisis.

Will you help us protect children from being separated from their families? Donate today. 

Your help is helping keep families together. Thank you. 

“I dream that children will grow up in families with love, understanding and good treatment and that those loving families will help children change it all, bounce back, and grow up healthily.” 

The post Exposed: Former orphanage employee reveals rampant abuse inside baby home in Ukraine appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

To mark this Mother’s Day, we’re sharing the stories of three incredible mums living through Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Tina*, Lilia* and Olga*.

From losing homes to losing loved ones, each of these women showed strength, love and care in the face of great hardship. Their stories remind us of the importance of family and that during war, children need a mother’s love more than ever. 

This Mother’s Day, will you help us bring separated children back to family? Donate today. 

Tina’s bravely raising her son after being widowed by war

“Now, life is difficult. But I try to be strong for my baby.” 

Tina, 22, is a young mum from Borodianka, Kyiv. Tina was three months pregnant when her village was invaded by Russian troops. Her fiancé was shot and killed the very next day. 
 
“We lived together,” she says, “I was pregnant with his child. And then the next moment, he was gone. Just dead.”  

Traumatised, Tina looked at the prospect of single motherhood with fear. But her own mother, Lilia, stood by her side every step of the way. With love, care and support, Tina got back on her feet in time to welcome her baby into the world. A healthy boy called Serhii*. Named after his dad.  

“After all I’d been through, giving birth to my baby was the happiest moment of my life. He’s my hope, my continuation.”

Tina’s story celebrates the strength of new mums and the resilience of mother figures around the world.

Tina received support from our Mobile Team in Borodianka. Read more about how we supported her family in Tina’s story. 

Lilia evacuated her family to save them from being shot

“My family is the most important thing in my life. I would sacrifice my life for them to be happy.” 

Lilia lives with her husband, Mykhailo*, and their four children, including Tina. 

After Tina’s fiancé died, Lilia evacuated her children to safety. They were only given thirty minutes to leave without being shot. For the next five weeks, they lived in hiding. 

“We read, we painted,” remembers Lilia, a kindergarten teacher. “I’m the kind of mum who makes them count, practice dictation and read out loud. I wanted to distract them.” 

Lilia did everything she could to protect her children from the war. “I’d sacrifice my life for them to be happy, for them to never have the minutes they’ve had to go through,” she says. When it was safe for them to return home, she picked up the pieces, one by one, to help her family begin a new chapter after the occupation. 

“Working and being a mother of four and a grandmother is hard. But these are my children, my grandson, so I always find time for them, to work with them, to run, to play, to do homework. Like all mothers, I love my children.” 

Lilia’s story celebrates the care and protection of our mother figures, as well as the bravery of parents raising children in occupied territories around the world.

Lilia received humanitarian support from our Mobile Team in Borodianka, including food, clothing and blankets. Read more on the vital work of our Mobile Team in Liudmyla Boiko’s story, Mobile Team Leader.

Olga sought specialist support to help her son speak again

“I want my child, my Nikita*, to go to school and have good knowledge. But my first and foremost dream is what all Ukrainians dream of. Our victory.” 

Olga is a mother from the city of Fastiv. 

Having lost her first husband to the fighting in 2014, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Olga quickly evacuated her four young children to Poland all by herself.
 
“My youngest were very frightened by all the explosions and the chaos that followed,” says Olga. “The war has scared my children a lot. My eldest two know what a war is. They’ve felt it since 2014.” 

The experience left five-year-old Nikita so traumatised that he stopped speaking. Determined to help him get better, Olga started taking Nikita to our Children’s Spot in Fastiv. With the love of his mother and the support of our specialists, Nikita slowly started to recover and began speaking again. 

Above all, Olga wanted to nurture her children. To safeguard their future and fuel their potential. Because for Olga, like countless mother figures around the world, nothing’s more important than family. 

“Being a mum is difficult even when everything’s normal. It’s even more difficult during a war.”

Olga’s story celebrates the dedication and nurturing of mums around the world, a testament to the support and encouragement found inside loving families.

Nikita received support at our Children’s Spot in Fastiv. To learn more about how the Children’s Spot has supported other children through the war, read Andrii’s* story.

How can you support mothers living through war in Ukraine?

Our team works round-the-clock to bring essential support to children and families in Ukraine. Our local team brings humanitarian support to some of the worst-hit communities and offers psychological support to traumatised children across the country.

Give the gift of love this Mother’s Day—help us bring support to families on the frontline in Ukraine. Your donation will help keep families together, and bring hope back to family.

This Mother’s Day, will you help us bring hope back to families? Donate today. 

*Names changed to ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support.

The post Mother’s Day: 3 amazing mums protecting their children in Ukraine appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

On February 24, 2022, Russia declared war on Ukraine, catalysing a humanitarian disaster not seen in Europe since World War II. 

According to UNHCR, one in three people were forced to flee their homes. 6.3 million became refugees. And 14.6 million still need urgent humanitarian support.

Two years on, the crisis and devastation continue. But Hope and Homes for Children is still there – supporting vulnerable children whose lives have been torn apart by war and bringing hope back to family.

Will you help us support children and families living through war in Ukraine? Donate today.

How has the war impacted children in Ukraine? 

The Russian invasion has taken an immeasurable toll on the children of Ukraine, many losing homes, friends and loved ones. This trauma means they’re face-to-face with a mental health crisis – a crisis that could damage their development for years to come.

That’s why we’re working round-the-clock to support vulnerable children and families across Ukraine with humanitarian, psychological and social support. “Our work makes families, children and communities stronger,” says Liudmyla Boiko, leader of one of our teams, pictured below. “Together, this prevents children from being institutionalised.”

As of February 2024, we’ve supported over 131,200 people, including 70,400 children. Two years on, our teams are still bringing safety and stability back to family. 

How has the war impacted children living in orphanages?

Before the war, Ukraine had one of the largest orphanage systems in Europe. An estimated 105,000 children lived in institutional care, one of the highest rates in the world. When Russia invaded:

• 95,700 returned to their families (85% of children in Ukraine’s orphanages have at least one living parent) 
• 4,500 were evacuated abroad 
• 2,050 were evacuated within Ukraine 
• 3,400 remain in orphanages 

Unaccompanied children are extremely vulnerable, especially during a war. That’s why we’ve been supporting young people from orphanages facing forced displacement, young people like Daryna*. And, we’re working to make sure that, when the war ends, we get them back to family.

Two years on, how is your support helping families in Ukraine?

Humanitarian support 

We’re not a humanitarian organisation but in 2022, we became one. Two years later, we still are. As of February 2024, we’ve provided humanitarian, psychological and practical support to 102,900 people in Ukraine, including 57,900 children. 

In 2023, we built a fleet of 19 Mobile Teams to bring emergency support to the frontline. Among the first responders in newly de-occupied territories, our Mobile Teams provide free support to families in the worst-hit communities. Families like Tina’s* – a young mum widowed by war. “Without the Mobile Team, everything would have been so much harder,” Tina says.

So far, our Mobile Teams have provided life-saving support to over 20,700 children from 14,000 families.

Keeping families together 

Russia’s full-scale invasion has pushed many families to breaking point, especially in the worst-hit communities. To help parents keep their families together in times of crisis, we’ve created a country-wide network of case management support, free community centres and support services. In 2023 alone, we trained 1,218 more professionals to provide these services.

In Fastiv, we opened the Children’s Spot offering free rehabilitative support to traumatised children. This was a lifeline to Andrii*, born with autism, who was deeply affected by the war. “The staff at the centre are true specialists,” his mum, Ryta*, says. “Everything they suggested worked. I’m so grateful.”

Through dedicated case management support, community centres and support services, we’ve protected 12,958 children from being separated from 6,474 families.

Foster care 

Tragically, the war has resulted in many children without parents or families able to care for them. Children like Mykhailo* and Igor*. 

To protect unaccompanied children from ending up in orphanages, we’re recruiting a new generation of loving foster parents to provide safe homes for them. 

As of February 2024, we’ve trained 151 new foster parents, successfully finding new homes for 90 children in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. 

Our global advocacy 

In 2023, we led the charge through our Global Advocacy, bringing the issue of child institutionalisation into the spotlight. From co-hosting a side-event at the Ukraine Recovery Conference to co-organising a conference on childcare reform, we’re making sure the rights of children and families always remain at the heart of the discussion.

Now, with Ukraine’s journey to EU accession in the spotlight, de-institutionalisation is more important than ever. We will continue to strengthen our advocacy efforts, working with the Ukrainian government to bring policy and priority back to family. Learn more about our advocacy work both in Ukraine and around the world.

What’s next?

Two years on, our commitment to protecting children and families in Ukraine is only growing. In Kyiv, we’re currently working with Bucha city council to set up:

• An early intervention service to identify children’s support needs early on.

• A new Mobile Team to provide parents in crisis with urgent humanitarian and psychological support.

• A daycare service with specialists offering developmental support.

• Trauma treatment from rehabilitative therapists, including counselling, group therapy, and PTSD treatment for children.

• A resource centre making access to education for children with disabilities more accessible.

As the war continues, we’ll continue to strengthen our work to reach as many vulnerable families as possible. That way, standing up for the rights of every child to grow up in a safe, loving home. It all comes back to family.

How can you help? 

Two years on, your help is more important than ever. Will you help us support children and families living through war in Ukraine? Donate today.

If you’ve already donated, thank you. Your generosity is helping transform lives.

“I want to tell every person who’s helped Hope and Homes for Children that your work and your help were not for nothing. Your help has been a breath of fresh air and brought hope for life for our people. Be happy that you can provide this support, as it’s truly helping us strengthen families here in Ukraine.”

Liudmyla Boiko, Leader of the Mobile Team in Borodianka.

*Names changed to ensure the safety and privacy of the people we support

The post Ukraine war two years on: the impact of your donations appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

“We lived together. I was pregnant with his child. And then the next moment, he was gone. Just dead.”  

In 2022, Tina’s* home near Borodianka, Kyiv, was violently occupied in the early days of the Russian war on Ukraine. Her entire family hid while bombs destroyed their village.

“I saw my husband cry for the first time in my life,” remembers Lilia*, Tina’s mum. “We were afraid that at any moment, one of us could be killed.” 

Two years on, Tina’s story of loss and recovery sheds light on the devastating impacts of war, the power of support, and the essential work our Ukraine team is doing to support families on the frontline.  

Will you help us support children and families living through war in Ukraine? Donate today.

Loss of loved ones 

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, countless Ukrainian families have been torn apart.

Young people are facing violence, displacement, and in Tina’s case, the tragic loss of loved ones. 

 “They entered our village on March 5^th,” Tina remembers. “The Russians went around our village stealing things, killing people. My fiancé, Serhii*, went outside and there was a Russian ambush. He was killed.”  

“We lived together. I was pregnant with his child. And then the next moment, he was gone. Just dead.” 

As a result, Tina’s family hid inside for two weeks before evacuating to a nearby village.

Tina had lost her home, her partner, and her hope for the future. She was deeply traumatised.

Five weeks in hiding 

Since the war began, an estimated one in three people in Ukraine have been forced to flee their homes.

Even today, children continue to endure nightly air raids and bombings. Lilia, Tina’s mum, remembers trying to shield her children from the violence outside. 

“Each night was torture,” she says. “When aeroplanes fly overhead and your child presses your hand and asks if there’ll be an explosion, it’s very scary. Our children know more about war than adults.” 

Following this, the whole family spent five weeks in hiding before it was safe enough to go home. When they did, they discovered it’d been looted by soldiers. Food, supplies, livestock, everything gone.  

A family of six, who’d lost everything, on the frontline. 

A lifeline from the Mobile Team during the Ukraine war

For the last two years, our team in Ukraine has been working to support children and families living through the war. Families like Tina’s.

After the Russian troops left Borodianka, we sent in one of our Mobile Teams – emergency support units that provide humanitarian and psychological support. 

“We respond directly to what’s needed for each individual family,” says Liudmyla Boiko, leader of the Mobile Team in Borodianka. “Without our support, the families we work with could lose their core and fall apart.” And when families fall apart, children are at risk of institutionalisation.

Tina’s family received everything they needed to get by – including food, blankets, clothing and pregnancy supplies for Tina. “We were so grateful,” says Lilia. The Mobile Team was a lifeline in their toughest hour.  

Psychological support during war in Ukraine

Next, after providing all the essentials, our Mobile Teams set up safe spaces for psychological support. Often the only people providing this service, our therapists work with children and families to help them overcome the traumas of war. 

In Borodianka, Tina, Lilia and the whole family received free counselling and therapy.

Thanks to our team, Tina was able to slowly reclaim her strength – dealing with the trauma of losing her fiancé. A few months later, Tina gave birth to her son, baby Serhii. Named after his dad. 

“After all I’d been through, giving birth to my baby was the happiest moment of my life. He’s my hope, my future. Without the Mobile Team, this would have been so much harder.” 

Looking ahead 

Now, Serhii’s healthy and growing fast and thanks to our Mobile Team, Tina’s doing much better. She has everything she needs to raise her baby boy, and we’re sticking by her side to make sure she feels safe and supported on the road ahead. 

“Our work makes children, families and communities stronger,” says Liudmyla. “Together, this helps keep families together and prevents children from being institutionalised.” 

“The help from the Mobile Team was so important to me, and to my family,” explains Lilia. “Psychological support means a lot to people. It helps you find the strength to go on, to somehow continue living because you need to support your kids. This service is absolutely essential for people in Ukraine. 

Tina’s is just one of thousands of families supported by our Mobile Teams since the war in Ukraine began, helping them stay together in times of crisis.

Thank you to all of you who’ve already donated and helped make the work of our Mobile Teams possible. If you’d like to help our team continue reaching more families with urgent practical and emotional support, please give whatever you can. Thank you.

Donate today and help bring hope back to family.  

The post Trauma, grief and recovery: bringing hope to war-torn families in Ukraine  appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

Together with supporters, families and young people, we’re showing a better world is possible. Read our round up of the last 12 months.

Closing orphanages, transforming care

Over the past twelve months, we and our partners have celebrated the closure of seven orphanages. 

In Romania, the whole of Ilfov Country is now institution free thanks to our work in partnership with the child protection department.

In Nepal, as the result of supporting and equipping our partners to train, sensitise and lobby local municipalities over the last two years, those authorities have now closed two children’s homes in Kathmandu Valley.  More than 500 children have been supported to escape the clutches of institutions in the year so far.  Our persistent advocacy has helped the government in Bulgaria commit to close the last remaining four children’s institutions – and what’s more, they’ve asked our Bulgarian team to lead on providing technical and practical support during this process.

Supporting families in crisis

Due to our work supporting families in crisis, more than 9,000 children across ten countries who might otherwise have been separated from loving families and placed in abusive, neglectful institutions, are now safe. In support of this, the first foster care pilot is now underway in Nepal to further strengthen family care alternatives. And in South Africa, we’re training young women to open their own businesses and become economically independent, as part of our inspirational ‘active family support’ model.

Our team in Ukraine continue to display incredible fortitude – helping particularly vulnerable children and families deal with trauma, and keeping families together. We’re providing counselling, therapy and material support, as well as finding new homes and foster families for children with nowhere else to go.

Working alongside governments and the EU to ensure no child is left behind

Our work in India has received a significant seal of approval from USAID, who have committed to funding us and our partners, as we support state government efforts to transform care provision, especially in inclusion for children with disabilities.  In Rwanda, our team continue to pioneer care reform for children with disabilities. We recently secured long term funding from the EU to ‘transform disability-inclusive child protection and care for vulnerable and marginalised children and youth’.    

Winning hearts and minds, alongside young people from care

In September, we co-organised the Asia Biannual Conference for Care Reform in Kathmandu. With over 230 in person participants and around 100 online participants attending from across the region and globally, this was a hugely successful way to engage policy makers and civil society in the fight to transform child care.  We were delighted that care-experienced young people played a central in shaping the conference, and that we could support by providing a platform for their voices to be heard as they called for change.

Impact on the biggest stage

Systems reform is the most sustainable way to have large scale impact. In 2023, as a result of our direct contribution

• the South African government committed to having a National Deinstitutionalisation Policy in place by the end of the year. Together with the South African Policy and Development Nexus, we’ve helped develop and consult on the drafts. 

• The Nepalese government has included ‘deinstitutionalisation’ in their Five Year Periodic [Development] Plan for the first time ever. 
• In Moldova, we have helped review, and make recommendations for, the regulatory framework for alternative care services.

What’s next?

In 2024 we want to see even more landmark moments where governments, law and policy makers, and social workers show that they believe family based care is best for all children.  So we’ll continue to expand our reach – we’ve recently partnered with a local organisation in Kenya to provide technical support to a pilot project demonstrating that change orphanage to family care is possible in Nakuru Country.  

None of this would have been possible without the generous support of people like you – who share our belief that every child deserves the love and belonging of a safe, supported family.

Thank you!

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Currently, all EU funding regulations and relevant policies contain measures for shifting from institutional to family and community-based care, thanks to the continuous, close collaboration between civil society and the EU institutions.

However, we have increasingly been advocating for transferring this approach to the EU accession process.

EU candidate countries share a common aspiration: becoming an EU Member State. To achieve this, they must undertake reforms in a number of areas and align with the EU standards, the so called ‘EU acquis’. As Hope and Homes for Children, we strive to ensure that the EU monitors and supports child protection and care system reform in EU candidate countries, as an integral part of their accession journey.

And we’re starting to see some very promising recent developments.

Advancing care reform throughout Europe

In October, the European Commission recommended further advancement of care reform in all ten 2023 Progress Reports that constitute the EU Enlargement Package. This brings an unprecedented opportunity for simultaneous care reform processes throughout Europe, that could effectively lead to the end of child institutionalisation, and result in children growing up in safe and caring families.

These are just some of the relevant excerpts from the reports:

• De-institutionalisation actions are taking place, but need to be further taken forward at a sufficient pace. (Albania)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to urgently develop and adopt a deinstitutionalisation strategy to move towards community-based care.
• Georgia lacks a national strategy on the de-institutionalisation of children. However, the government has made steps to deinstitutionalise remaining non-state regulated religious residential institutions. Further measures are needed to address the lack of proper standards in boarding schools.
• A comprehensive strategy for child protection is necessary to accelerate deinstitutionalisation and the transition towards quality, family- and community-based care services, including with an adequate focus on preparing children to leave care. (Kosovo)
• …deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities is progressing, [but] insufficiently qualified staff, lack of resources and poor infrastructure hinder the specialised care and support for institutionalised children with disabilities. (Moldova)
• The deinstitutionalisation strategy, initially planned for Q4 2022, has yet to be adopted. (Montenegro)
• Implementation of the 2018-2027 national deinstitutionalisation strategy continues. This involves a transition from institutional care to family and community-based care with support from social services. (North Macedonia)
• implement and report in good time on the strategies on anti-discrimination that includes the rights of LGBTIQ persons, gender equality, violence against women, and deinstitutionalisation; actively counter hate-motivated crimes and establish a track record of investigation and convictions (Serbia)
• Ukraine should develop and adopt a comprehensive de-institutionalisation reform of childcare and launch its implementation, considering the situation of displaced children in the upcoming year.
• Adequate funding should be directed towards reinforcing community-based care and ensuring proper deinstitutionalisation. Particular concern is caused by the construction of new institutions following the earthquakes and the wars in Syria and Ukraine. (Turkey)

Learning from the past: European Commission brown bag lunch on child protection and care reform in EU enlargement countries

Bringing our experience to bear

Following the Enlargement Package publication, the Commission held an internal webinar, focused on care reform, in close collaboration with us and Lumos. EU representatives, based in Brussels and EU candidate countries alike, joined the online event and shared key EU commitments and initiatives to support child protection and care reform in EU candidate countries. This event was a timely opportunity to discuss current opportunities to promote progress in countries in the process of accessing EU membership with EU staff.

Alongside others, we shared insights from former and ongoing EU accession processes, in particular Bulgaria. Our colleagues gave joint recommendations on how to ensure child protection and care reform is achieved in the midst of the EU accession process. We shared lessons learnt from Bulgaria, where progress is down to resolute political will and technical and financial assistance from the European Union – including pooled resources between the EU Directorate-Generals for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL), and collaboration with civil society organisations like us.

Despite this, our experts highlighted that efforts must be maintained to ensure the completion of child care reform in Bulgaria, where four institutions for young children with disabilities remain. This ‘looking back’ exercise resonated with our experts from Ukraine and Moldova; our work in these countries will continue to draw on our years of experience working in past and current EU accession countries alike.

Making care reform a reality

This is all very positive, but in order for care reform to really advance and be completed in a quality and sustainable way, it must be properly funded. This would mean governments making sure that some of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) III, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation (NDICI) funding, as well as under any new funding instrument or package, are ringfenced for care reform. As we have been operational in Ukraine and Moldova for decades, it is only natural that we follow more closely the developments in these countries.

Recently, there have been two outstanding opportunities for advancing their care reform: the Ukraine Facility Regulation and the EU Support Package for the Republic of Moldova.

Ukraine

Given

• the objectives listed in the Ukraine Facility Regulation, such as

1. contributing to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the country, and
2. progressively aligning with the EU acquis

• and the high number of institutionalised children, addressed also in the EC Opinion on Ukraine’s application for membership of the European Union,

it is logical that the Ukraine Facility, and the mirroring Ukraine Plan, support a comprehensive reform of the child protection and care system in Ukraine.

Moreover, the European Commission has already granted €10m to Ukraine for the development of a modern child care strategy. Funding its implementation is the next step for securing family care for the thousands of institutionalised and orphaned children, threatened by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

As care reform was not included in the original EC proposal, we mobilised eleven key child and disability rights Ukrainian and international organisations and networks around joint proposals for amendments. The European Parliament has taken these on board in their report on the Regulation. We then directed our advocacy efforts towards the Council and the Commission and are now expecting the outcome of the trialogues, the negotiations between the three EU decision-making bodies.

Moldova

Similarly, the EU Support Package for the Republic of Moldova could be instrumental for completing care reform for children in Moldova. Especially, when the 2022-2026 National Child Protection Programme and Action Plan provide the necessary base for completing the care reform of children. The implementation however has been delayed due to lack of resources. Our analysis, endorsed by 11 Moldovan and international organisations, demonstrates that care reform could be funded under two of the three Package priorities: Economic development and connectivity and Administrative capacity. A successfully completed reform in an EU candidate country will set an example for all the other accession and partner countries.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

Ultimately, systematic inclusion of child care reform as a key, priority requirement for EU accession requires resolute political will.

We believe we can secure this by:

• advocating towards the EU to ensure it champions child care reform in the negotiations towards accession
• supporting national and regional child care advocates, so they can seize opportunities to advocate for child care reform in the context of EU accession.

To support the launch and implementation of care reform in EU candidate countries, we’re currently working on producing guiding documents tailored to these two audiences. These build on our decades of experiences in the European Eastern Neighbourhood region. We are looking at launching them early next year, with the hope that they will be a useful tool for governments, EU institutions and civil society actors, working on care reform for children.

Authors: Irina Papancheva, Marie Raverdeau

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The current news cycle is overwhelming. Over the past 20 months, we’ve witnessed a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine that shows no sign of abating. Millions of children are suffering the consequences of war. Yemen faces a famine, with unprecedented levels of hunger and one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. In Syria and Turkey, earthquakes have killed over 55,000. Millions more have lost their homes.

Then, shocking scenes from Israel, Gaza and the West Bank have horrified people around the world.

“The killing and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks on hospitals and schools, and the denial of humanitarian access constitute grave violations of children’s rights”  

Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, referencing the situation in the Gaza Strip specifically as “a growing stain on our collective conscience.”

We’ve added our voice to the global community’s calling for an urgent ceasefire by all parties in the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and an immediate and unconditional release of Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas

And now an earthquake in Nepal, where our teams are working with local authorities to support crisis response with food, tents, clothes, blankets, and counselling services to calm their fears and give them hope.

We can’t work everywhere that’s currently facing a humanitarian crisis.  But we do work globally through our advocacy for a better world for all children – free from the harm and safe from the fear they experience daily in orphanages. As part of this, we fight to implement our learning about how emergency preparedness and response should work hand in hand with care reform to keep the most vulnerable children safe.

Emergency Response – what we’ve learned

Thankfully, humanitarian actors are on the ground now, responding as fast as possible to these emergencies. But some disasters are predictable, and to build a truly fair world, we all need to prepare for them. We’ve learned here that disasters and emergencies always hit children particularly hard, and that children deprived of family support and care are especially vulnerable.

Whether it’s because they’re living in orphanages, or have become separated from their families, for example as refugees in the fog of war, without trusted, loving carers to protect and comfort them, unaccompanied children are at greatest risk of physical violence and abuse, psychological trauma, exploitation, and trafficking.

1. Prioritise the most vulnerable

All agencies working to respond to war and natural disasters must prioritise children without families. They’ll need  trusted adults to navigate their trauma. They’ll need practical help as they flee their homes and countries in fear for their lives.

2. Build focus on children without families into emergency preparation

Our work in Ukraine has shown us that the needs of children deprived of family care all too often are overlooked in emergencies, while the harm and trauma they suffer is irreversible.

As an international community of responders, we must account for their well-being and whereabouts, reunite them with their families when possible, or welcome them into supporting family environments urgently. And we must be ready with robust emergency preparedness mechanisms, explicitly designed to direct attention to children in alternative care, to limit as far as possible the harm to these children.

3. Don’t rely on orphanages as temporary response

In a crisis, for unaccompanied children and particularly children on the move, orphanages are often seen as a ‘temporary’ solution.  While well-intended, they become a long-term, established part of the care system. This locks up resources in buildings, rather than being directed towards keeping families and children together.

4. Prevention is the best cure

Ultimately, the most important thing that we’ve learned is that prevention of family separation and the strengthening of families and communities is the single most effective way of protecting children from experiencing emergency situations alone. We work directly with families and communities, and we continue to advocate for them globally, to ensure access to services in the community, and ensure that families have the financial and psychosocial support they need to keep their children at home. We continue this work so that one day, no child will have to face the horrors of war and disaster without the care of a trusted adult to support, guide and protect them.

Read our full recommendations on disaster resilience and child-centred response

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We reflect upon the week of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, why there’s hope for Ukraine’s care reform process, and how domestic political will and international attention has galvanised into commitment to all Ukrainian children growing up in safe, loving families.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023 was co-hosted in London by the Governments of Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Focusing on rebuilding the war-torn country both physically and socially, the conference and associated events were an opportunity for the Government of Ukraine to outline its reconstruction plans.  These included an ambitious care reform agenda, and an appeal to international donors to support this process. 

We’ve been working in the run-up to the conference, in Ukraine and internationally, to ensure the international attention focused on Ukraine turns into tangible support for an inclusive, sustainable care reform process.  In late June, alongside 16 organisations including Save the Children, Lumos, Disability Rights International (DRI) and Human Rights Watch, we published joint recommendations on the reform of Ukraine’s child protection and care system. 

Mykolayivka Special Boarding School of General Education, Ukraine, 2016 Photo credit: Aleksandr Glyadyelov.

Securing political will and commitment to care reform  

One essential element of making change happen is ensuring the political will to change is unmistakeably there. 

The day before the conference, Chatham House hosted a dedicated ‘Road to URC 2023’ event, for civil society to discuss its vital role in Ukraine’s recovery. At the event, Yulia Sokolovska, Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine, highlighted the level of political support for the care reform agenda by saying “the President’s (Zelensky’s) ambition is to eliminate children’s facilities while he is President.”¹

At the conference itself, one session on ‘Human Capital’ had significant focus on care reform. Minister for Social Policy, Oksana Zholnovych, and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Partnerships, Karin Hulshof, highlighted the importance of their Better Care agenda, while Darya Kasyanova, Chair of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, outlined why the need for care reform is so urgent.  UK Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell, referenced the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s care reform agenda “working to ensure that each Ukrainian child, including children with disabilities, has the opportunity to live in a nurturing family.”² 

To secure such consistent commitment to reform on a public stage was a huge step forward.  But there was more to come.  

International support for a Ukrainian vision of the future of child protection 

After the conference, alongside UNICEF, Lumos and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Government of Ukraine, we hosted a side event dedicated specifically to the care reform agenda.  Here, Minister Zholnovych presented Ukraine’s ambitious Better Care agenda, and called for all those in the room to join Ukraine and publicly commit to supporting the reform process.

The call was answered by Denise Brown, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, who spoke of the UN’s commitment to supporting the Government of Ukraine’s journey towards care reform and Danae Dholakia, UK Special Envoy for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, who reiterated the UK’s ground-breaking 2018 commitment to support global care reform efforts. 

Ukraine’s accession to the European Union 

The role of the European Union (EU) in Ukraine’s reform process is key, particularly in the context of Ukraine’s accession journey. The Vice President of the European Commission, Dubravka Šuica, made clear that the EU is ready to rise to this challenge.

Building back better – together 

The clear, public alignment between speakers that ‘the time for reform is now’ is a source of genuine hope that we can make real progress together. In a moving speech, Baroness Helena Kennedy made parallels with the UK’s recovery from World War II, building a stronger social protection system in the aftermath of destruction. 

Tellingly, none shied away from the scale of the challenge; all were clear that the Government of Ukraine is not alone in this process.  UNICEF is supporting the Government to develop its Better Care agenda. Philippe Cori, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, gave a powerful speech highlighting what will be needed to make this reform a success, including support for the social workforce and concrete funding commitments.  

Indeed, it is only active involvement from Ukrainian civil society experts can ensure that this reform process is sustainable and inclusive. Halyna Kurylo, of DRI, emphasised the importance of the participation of children and adults with disabilities in the process. Lumos’s Yaroslav Laguta made the key point that the child, and their destiny, must be at the centre of reform. Kasyanova willed all involved to consider more than recovery, and focus instead on development – building a better system than before. 

With private sector support also crucial for Ukraine’s recovery, our own CEO Mark Waddington outlined the importance of private sector and civil society collaboration, to ensure resources are allocated towards sustainable, inclusive reform. 

This moment was a product of amazing co-operation. Governments, multilateral institutions and civil society came together as partners to present a clear, aligned position on Ukraine’s care reform. This demonstrates we can move closer to a future where no child in Ukraine grows up missing the love and security of a family. 

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