UNICEF at the forefront of the Humanitarian Response inside and outside Ukraine

ATHENS MARCH 21, 2022 - The situation of children in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. Children continue to be killed, injured and be deeply affected by the devastating violence around them, terrified, shocked and desperate for safety.

With more than 3 million people already having fled Ukraine, including more than 1.5 million children, we are now witnessing the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

In addition to the millions of families who were turned into refugees overnight, more than 3.5 million children remain at immediate risk within Ukraine, with more than 100,000 children living in institutions, orphanages or hospitals, including children with disabilities, making their movement even more difficult and dangerous.

As the United Nations' core body for the protection of the rights of the child around the world, UNICEF is at the forefront of the humanitarian response inside and outside Ukraine, in areas hit hard by the conflict and on the country's border with neighboring states that receive tens of thousands of refugees every day.

To date in Ukraine, UNICEF:

• Has distributed 858 tons of supplies to the affected areas including medicines, hospital and surgical equipment, oxygen cylinders, first aid kits, personal hygiene items, blankets, clothes and educational materials. The supplies are aimed at boosting more than 100 health facilities in Kiev, Kharkiv, Poltava and Donetsk, families and children in institutions, hospitals and shelters, as well as more than 20,000 pregnant women and 5,000 newborns.

• Has strengthened the human resources of the Organization with over 140 employees present in the most inaccessible areas.

• Has set up 47 mobile child protection teams, responsible for distributing vital supplies but also for providing psychosocial support and protection to children and families as the attacks continue day and night.

• Launched a chat bot app to provide information on how to respond to unaccompanied child cases, including what to do if a child goes missing and how families can voluntarily declare availability for temporary adoption. More than 1,500 Ukrainian families volunteered to accommodate unaccompanied children in less than 48 hours.

In addition, on the Ukrainian border with Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Moldova - UNICEF has already set up more than 20 centers for immediate support and assistance and information for families and children, the well-known Blue Dots, in cooperation with state and humanitarian agencies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In Greece, UNICEF in cooperation with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum provides corresponding support to the state mechanism for the reception of children and refugee families at the Greek-Bulgarian border in Promachonas, with the provision of special personnel and supplies as well as the distribution of information material to prevent and deal with incidents of trafficking and gender-based violence.

In addition, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, UNICEF supports the immediate and smooth integration of children from Ukraine into the Greek education system through the provision of direct interpretation services in schools, translation of educational materials and Greek language courses through 41 Centers for Study and Creative Employment throughout Greece.

The Agency's humanitarian response will continue unabated in all directions, however, the humanitarian catastrophe and the cost to millions of children are beyond calculation once again.