Projects in eastern Ukraine
Two girls from Myronivskyi on their way home from school. This small town in Donetsk oblast has suffered tremendously as a result of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Since April 2014, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has resulted in extensive humanitarian suffering and significant displacement of people, including children. Children in conflict-affected areas, especially those living in nongovernment controlled areas and close to the contact line, are at risk of diseases due to the lack of medicines, hygiene supplies, and safe drinking water. According to the latest data from the UN, about 10,000 people have died and 1.7 million people have lost their homes, among them 235,000
Š UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Schuepp
children. UNICEF, together with local and international partners, is active in the conflict-affected regions to minimise the suffering of the local population and to improve the prospects for a brighter future for the children of Ukraine.
“Looking at the work UNICEF does in eastern Ukraine, you have to differentiate between short-term projects which focus on the immediate humanitarian needs following the armed conflict, and medium and long-term initiatives that address and promote social cohesion and integration of the thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), especially displaced children. UNICEF has stepped up its presence in those regions most affected by the conflict to ensure child rights monitoring and an effective implementation of the response can take place. Today UNICEF is present and active in all five regions in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, the humanitarian and recovery work UNICEF is supporting in the East does connect with the overall development agenda that is part of our countrywide program.�
Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2014 / Krepkih
The infrastructure in eastern Ukraine has been heavily damaged and continues to suffer as a result of the ongoing conflict. Bridges have been destroyed, water pipelines are damaged and many roads are in very poor condition, especially near the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. This affects not only the local population but also the humanitarian organizations working in the region. The supply of water and electricity are of especially critical importance, given the hot summers and the extreme cold during Ukrainian winters. In August 2016, 950,000 people in eastern Ukraine had only limited
Š UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Filippov
access to clean drinking water, according to official UN data. Together with the regional water supplier Voda Donbassa, UNICEF Ukraine is working continuously to improve and guarantee the water supply for the people in eastern Ukraine, focusing on both short-term and long-term measures.
“Water for Mariupol is conveyed through large pipelines and open canals from Sloviansk to the north, a distance of around 200km. The pipelines cross the conflict line, and this, together with corrosion problems in the old pipelines means that Mariupol’s water supply is particularly vulnerable. UNICEF is working with Voda Donbassa, which operates the bulk supply system, to identify the most vulnerable links in the supply infrastructure and to provide critical spare pipes and equipment to replace or repair the most essential items. The conflict has also meant that it is much more difficult for people to pay for water and sewerage services, which has reduced the ability of the authorities to fund their operations. The provision by UNICEF of chemicals for water treatment and the provision of urgently required spares and replacement items is of great benefit to the water and sewerage authorities. The assistance currently being provided by UNICEF is only sufficient to address the most urgent problems. A much higher level of funding is required to address the aged and deteriorating infrastructure in a way which will result in secure and sustainable water and sanitation services into the future.”
Rodney Jackson, UNICEF Water expert in Mariupol, Donetsk oblast
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2015 / Filippov
“UNICEF in Ukraine supports psychosocial programmes that provide unique interventions tailored for specific age groups and individual needs. We try to build on the children’s strengths and their natural ability to recover. For some children this means having a safe space where they can play, draw or learn something new. For others it’s a feeling of belonging that they have when they come to a youth-friendly space and spend some time with their friends who just like them had to leave their homes because of the conflict. I will never forget the image of the smiling teenager who came to me telling me how the psychosocial programme works in his school. ”It works, it works,” he almost yelled, “Now I know how to resolve conflicts, even at home. Especially with my grandma...”
Ruslana Sirman, UNICEF Ukraine Child Protection Officer
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2015 / Filippov
“Thanks a lot. Through your help I have overcome my
fears. I don’t feel so alone and I am not afraid of the dark any more.”
Masha, 11 years old
“I can hardly wait for the next meeting. I love it. I have learned to
understand myself much better and also my friends. Thank you!”
Nastya, 10 years old “I don’t really know how you did
this, but the boy is at last totally calm again after all this time!”
Grandmother of a formerly anxious 7-year-old boy
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2015 / Kozlov
The situation in eastern Ukraine does not only affect the current state of the children but also their future. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might still haunt the children several years from now. Therefore, it is necessary to take immediate and effective measures to minimise the consequences and give all children a chance to develop in the best possible way. Since teachers, parents and local psychologists are sometimes not able to provide ample support — mainly because they also live in the conflict areas and are subject to the same psychological stress — UNICEF helps them to build resilience and find ways to cope with the situation, in order to be able to help others. More than 10,000 children and caregivers are taking part in UNICEF-supported trainings that will show them new approaches to early intervention and educate them about how negative long-term effects can be minimised or prevented. UNICEF also works closely with 6,000 kindergartens in the region and supplies them with 6,000 psychological first-aid kits. Almost 300,000 people in the conflict-affected region have so far received hygiene kits and hygiene education.
More than 130 schools and kindergartens in the conflict region have been provided with new furniture for their classrooms. In addition, they have received new sports equipment and other materials to enable the children to grow up in a positive learning and playing environment.
#EmergencyLessons — a short video about the importance of education in schools in conflict-affected regions: http://bit.ly/emergency-lessons-english Alternatively, you can scan this QR and watch the interview directly on your mobile device.
Š UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Schuepp
Classroom in a school in Hranitne, Volnovakha district, Donetsk oblast.
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman
The renovation of sports facilities in schools in the conflict region was an important step in enabling the children to participate in sports activities in their towns and cities. UNICEF supports more than 300 schools in five oblasts (Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk) under the ‘Sport for Development‘ initiative. Through this project we reach around 120,000 school-aged boys and girls in eastern Ukraine. All schools are receiving brand new sports equipment — basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, table-tennis equipment, gymnastic mats, ropes and other supplies. 30 schools are also supported with the development of outdoor sports facilities. In October/November 2016 UNICEF will organize a volleyball tournament together with these 300 schools. At least 4,000 boys and girls will participate in the regional competition. In spring 2017 we will continue with a football tournament with the same schools and an additional 4,000 active participants. In addition to all this, 650 sports teachers and local NGO staff will receive specific education in measures that support ‘Sport for Development‘.
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman
“Sport is absolutely unique. Nothing in our world can bring kids together like sport does, because it doesn’t just take place on the physical level; it also plays a role on the social level where the children benefit from being in teams and clubs and experience the power of competition. Together with health and education, the participation in sports initiative strengthens children and teenagers and lets them grow and develop into strong personalities. Sport is not just a physical process; it has scientifically-proven positive effects on school performance and also on the integration of IDPs, which is very important in the context of eastern Ukraine.“
Oscar Butragueno, UNICEF Emergency Specialist in Ukraine
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman
“A girl from eastern Ukraine told me that she would have to go to school with a plastic bag if she had not received a UNICEF school backpack. It breaks my heart when I see the level of insecurity in which these children live, how much psychological stress they have to cope with, and that sometimes even the most fundamental things are missing when it comes to school and education. But when we support them, they usually start smiling again quickly and you can literally feel the enthusiasm they have for school and for learning. It is extremely important for us to be in direct contact with the children. Only the children know and can tell us what exactly they need and how we can best help them.“
Natasha Stojkovska, UNICEF Emergency Coordinator in Ukraine
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman
The Super Team against Mines is a 20-page comic book targeted at children aged 6-12 in eastern Ukraine. UNICEF and partners have printed 200,000 copies and will distribute them to the conflict-affected regions. “The sign with the skull was always a sign for pirates to me. But now that sign stands for mines and danger here“, says Illia, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Severodonetsk in Luhansk oblast. Mine risk awareness and education about Unexploded Ordnance (UXOs) is one of the top priorities when it comes to life-saving measures taken by UNICEF in Ukraine. With substantial financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, BMZ), 500,000 children in eastern Ukraine were trained in mine risk awareness in 2015/2016.
To find out more about the everyday dangers in children‘s lives in Ukraine, go to http://bit.ly/SchoolMarinkaUA or scan the QR code and watch the video directly on your mobile device.
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman
Teenagers at „Teplitsya“ youth club in Sloviansk presenting their self-developed social projects to an interested audience.
UNICEF currently supports 20 Community Protection Centres (CPCs) in eastern Ukraine. Additionally, we help people in remote areas with mobile teams to make sure nobody is forgotten. The mobile teams often travel to the smaller villages near the conflict line and work there with the local population, with families and children, to guarantee they are cared for and get the best possible support in their situation. Together with the CPCs and the mobile teams we reach far more than 100,000 people. UNICEF has also already supplied winter clothing to 10,000 children, 32,000 educational kits and 1,000 early childhood development kits as well as 1,000 first aid kits. We are currently establishing youth clubs in eastern Ukraine where we will focus on working with teenagers and adolescents who are often overlooked in emergency situations. Through targeted training, workshops and mentoring programmes we will try and give them the necessary skills to develop their personalities and be successful in life. Integration of IDPs, social cohesion, conflict prevention and mediation are among the other priorities in the work of the youth clubs. The teenagers also have a chance to participate in a ‚small grants‘ programme and develop and design their own projects, get them funded and then realise their ideas.
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Georgiev
To watch a short video of Orlando Bloom‘s visit to Ukraine, go to http://bit.ly/OrlandoBloom-Ukraine or scan the QR code and watch it directly on your mobile device.
In May 2016, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom travelled to eastern Ukraine to raise awareness of the global education crisis facing children in humanitarian emergencies. The famous actor visited classrooms hit by shells just three kilometres from the contact line. “I met children like 11 year old Liana who hid in the basement of her school for almost two weeks, in freezing conditions, without lighting or heat, while shelling devastated the classrooms above,” said Bloom during his visit to Ukraine. “Now, after surviving some of the most terrifying experiences life could possibly throw at them, all they want is to get back to the safety and routine of school and plan for their future.” During his time in eastern Ukraine, Bloom also met with schoolchildren who are receiving counselling from UNICEF-supported psychologists, to help them recover from their distressing experiences during the conflict. “The partnership with the government of Germany gives us a chance to make a real difference for the conflict-affected children in eastern Ukraine. We are grateful to all our funding and implementing partners for the effective results achieved together.”
Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine
© UNICEF Ukraine / 2016 / Hetman