Ukraine
One Year On.
“I understood what was going on, but I did not understand what to do. I knew we could not turn the time back and that our lives have been changed forever.”
Amina, 14, Ukraine
February 24 marks the one year anniversary of the escalation of conflict in Ukraine. And 12 months on, missiles continue to strike cities across the country.
15 million people have been forced to flee their homes, in a refugee crisis of proportions not seen in Europe since WWII. Critical infrastructure has been destroyed, including schools and hospitals, while attacks on energy infrastructure have left over six million people to suffer through a winter without electricity. One in five schools have been damaged, interrupting education for millions of children and more than 40 percent of the population are in need of humanitarian assistance.
“I used to think that life during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 was very hard, but I now realise that it was nothing compared to what we are going through now,” says 14-year-old Amina.
17-year-old Zenhya also attends Amina’s school, in a small village less than an hour’s drive from Kyiv.
“My parents are from this village. I was born here and have been at this school since I started school. When the war started, I left the village with my family. I stayed in touch with friends who stayed in the village and they told me that it was very hard for them and very dangerous. They were very scared.”
Zenhya, 17, Ukraine
returning to school
Despite being damaged when the village was under Russian control last year, Zenhya and Amina’s school has now returned to face-to-face learning, one of the only schools in the area to have done so. The girls much prefer being back at school, rather than learning online, like they did between March and September last year.
“For me, going back to school meant no longer being stuck on my own at home,” explains Amina. “It was also great to get back to studying the right way, in person.” And Zenhya agrees, “I was very happy to come back to school. First of all, it was great to be back together with friends and spend time with them. I no longer feel alone.”
Getting children back in school is critical to providing a sense of safety and normality and ensuring they grow up to reach their full potential. In times of crisis, the chance to go to school can be a lifeline. For children who have been forced to flee their homes, it is an important part of building a life in a new country.
Nastya, Zenhya and Amina are happy to be back in school.
Nastya, Zenhya and Amina are happy to be back in school.
One of the school's refurbished corridors.
One of the school's refurbished corridors.
Nastya, 15, and Amina, 14, in front of their school's art wall.
Nastya, 15, and Amina, 14, in front of their school's art wall.
our impact
Thanks to your generous support, since March 2022 Plan International has been responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and surrounding countries, focussed on supporting refugees in Moldova, Poland, and Romania and also working through our implementing partner International Medical Corps (IMC) inside Ukraine.
To date, we have reached more than 150,000 people with critical support – over 28,000 in Poland, over 38,000 in Romania, almost 50,000 in Moldova, and nearly 37,000 in Ukraine.
Support our response to the Ukraine crisis by making a donation.
Our activities have included
Providing in-depth psychosocial support via mobile teams to over 12,000 children and their caregivers in Moldova – offering services in 10 districts and 14 settings.
Distributing 5,000 blankets to vulnerable families in Moldova.
Supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure for children, including 75 schools and 25 shelters. This supports the continuation of education and helps provide adequate protection from air raids, directly supporting close to 40,000 children, adolescents and their caregivers.
Disbursing 10 million euros to support our partner-led programmes in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Poland.
Distributing 11,200 hygiene kits, including 7,000 period dignity kits in Poland, 600 in Romania and 600 in Moldova to girls and young women. The kit includes period and hygiene products. For example, menstrual pads, shampoo, anti-perspirants and wet wipes.
Providing more than 2,500 people with information on their relevant rights, legal aid and documentation. This has included support in obtaining housing.
Unconditional and unrestricted cash support for 40,000 people in Ukraine, Poland and Romania.
Distributing relief items such as blankets, winter clothing, heating appliances and heating fuel to more than 14,000 people, particularly those in isolated areas of Ukraine.
At least 1,500 teachers have been trained in mental health and psychosocial support, social and emotional learning, psychological first aid and classroom integration in Poland and Moldova.
Over 1,200 backpacks with school materials have been provided to children as part of Back to School campaigns in conjunction with local municipalities and Ministries of Education.
Educating and integrating over 3,000 children in child friendly spaces in seven community libraries and three Refugee Accommodation Centres (RACs) in Moldova, with storytelling and group reading activities with local children as well as via a mobile toy library (Ludobus).
Nine daycare centres have been established in Poland, offering protection services to children and employment to refugee women.
15,000 children have benefitted from formal or non-formal learning activities, including the provision of tablets to continue to follow the all-Ukrainian school curriculum online.
We have provided over 60,000 people with food assistance in Moldova and Ukraine.
Over 30,000 children have been provided with protection services, ensuring girls and boys affected by the Ukraine conflict are protected from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. This includes providing support to families to help prevent negative coping mechanisms.
One year on and with no end in sight to the situation in Ukraine, Plan International and our partners will continue to be there – through the conflict and as they rebuild and recover. Your support has allowed us to deliver our response thus far, and will be critical in order for us to continue scaling up our life-sustaining programs, and restoring normality in children’s lives.
Support our response to the Ukraine crisis by making a donation.
After the traumatic experiences of the past year, for Amina, being back at school has given her a way to focus on creating a brighter future, even if she doesn’t quite know what that looks like yet.
"I don’t know yet what I want to do when I grow up, maybe I will follow my brother's path and go to medical school, or maybe I will be a chemistry teacher. I want all of us to finish school with good results and for my teachers to be proud of us. I hope that we can all achieve great things and that one day our teachers will say: 'this is the girl or boy that I used to teach'."
Amina, 14, Ukraine
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