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UN PhotoUNICEF / UKRAINE CHILDREN THREE YEAR MARK
STORY: UNICEF / UKRAINE CHILDREN THREE YEAR MARK
TRT: 3:40
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNICEF ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: PLEASE CHECK SHOTLIST FOR DETAILS
19 NOVEMBER 2024, DONETSK AND DNIPROPETROVSK REGIONS, UKRAINE
1. Various shots, children and families fleeing the fighting in the Donetsk region eastern Ukraine.
UNICEF works with local authorities and other partners to provide children and families on the move with cash assistance, essential supplies, and improved access to health care, education and social services, including psychosocial support.
2. Various shots, destruction in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, where homes, schools, infrastructure, and public buildings have been severely damaged due to ongoing fighting.
DECEMBER 2024, DERHACHI, SOLONYTSIVKA AND KHARKIV, KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE
3. Various shots, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine, Munir Mammadzade, visits the Kharkiv region, where UNICEF’s winter support efforts aim to assist the most vulnerable families in Ukraine during the harsh winter conditions.
4. Various shots, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine, Munir Mammadzade, visits the 3 MW gas mobile boiler in Solonytsivka to ensure heat and power for thousands of residents.
5. Various shots, destruction in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, where UNICEF is supporting vulnerable families.
With the support of donors like USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Germany, Norway, and others, UNICEF is helping over 16,700 vulnerable households with children in the Kharkiv region.
05 DECEMBER 2024, SUMY, UKRAINE
6. Various shots, children from the Sumy area participating in various school activities.
UNICEF has partnered with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Association of Preschool Education Workers to develop the '2 by 2' methodology. This initiative allows children to attend face-to-face classes twice a week in a safe space.
7. Various shots, school supplies for children to use in their classrooms.
Thanks to the cooperation between the Association of Preschool Education Workers NGO and UNICEF Ukraine, as well as financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office, the Government of Spain and the UNICEF National Committee in Switzerland, over 200,000 children across Ukraine have already participated in these preschool sessions.
20 February 2025, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Toby Fricker, UNICEF Ukraine Chief of Advocacy and Communication (In English)
“The war in Ukraine has taken a devastating toll on childhood. On the three years since the escalation and one in five children, young people say they've lost a friend or a relative. Their mental health, their education, their everyday lives have been impacted by this horrific war. UNICEF is doing what we can to provide the support, the opportunities children need to at least be able to continue their childhoods as best as possible and critically, to play a role in the country's development. Investing in children and young people today is non-negotiable for their sake, but also the future of Ukraine.”
10. Various shots, Toby Fricker, UNICEF Ukraine Chief of Advocacy and Communications, visits a UNICEF-supported Social Workers Training Hub in Dnipro, where he meets with families and frontline workers affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
One in five children in Ukraine has reported losing a close relative or friend since the escalation of war three years ago, according to survey data released today (21 Feb) by UNICEF.
“For far too long, death and destruction have remained a constant in the lives of children in Ukraine,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This level of violence causes immense fear and suffering and disrupts every aspect of a child’s life.”
Ukraine’s third year of full-scale war was even deadlier for children than the preceding year. The number of child casualties in 2024 rose by more than 50 per cent compared to 2023. More than 2,520 children have been killed or injured since February 2022. The true number is likely far higher, as these figures account only for child casualties verified by the UN. More than 1,600 education facilities and nearly 790 health facilities have been verified as damaged or destroyed over the past three years.
The war has left children and teenagers facing profound loss and deprivation, affecting their development and well-being, at critical stages in their lives.
Experiences during the first three years of life influence children’s lifelong health and learning. Yet three-year-olds in Ukraine have only known war. Parents report feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, impacting family life. The essential services that young children and their parents rely on have also been disrupted by the war.
Adolescence is also a particularly challenging time for children in Ukraine. Almost one-third of teenagers reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing their usual activities. These sentiments are more common among girls.
Mental health challenges for children and young people in Ukraine are worsening due to isolation. Many children consistently spend hours sheltering in basements, missing opportunities to socialize and learn. Nearly 40 per cent of children study only online or through a mixture of in-person and remote classes. The impact on learning has been profound with an average educational loss of two years in reading and one year in math.
UNICEF works with partners across Ukraine to provide critical lifesaving support including access to health care, safe water, cash assistance, education and child protection services to children across frontline areas. Together, we repair and rehabilitate water and sanitation networks and ensure families with children have access to fuel and clothing to keep them warm during the harsh winters.
At the same time, UNICEF works with the Government and partners to support recovery and long-term development, and foster social cohesion, through strengthening systems that serve children and their families. This includes ensuring that child and social protection, health and education systems can provide timely and quality essential support, care and opportunities to children.
There are currently 6.86 million Ukrainian refugees registered globally, almost one million of whom are living in Poland. For refugee children, access to school remains a challenge with half of school-age children in refugee-hosting countries not enrolled in national education systems, impacting their opportunity to learn and interact with their peers, as well as to develop essential skills that will be critical to the recovery of Ukraine. UNICEF continues to work with governments, municipalities and local partners to strengthen systems that provide refugee children with quality education, health care and protection services.
“Children must always be protected from the impacts of war in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Russell. “More than anything, children in Ukraine need sustained peace, and the chance to realize their full potential.”
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