UNICEF ramps up efforts with the Government of Ukraine and local authorities to support children and families during winter

8 December 2023, KYIV—UNICEF is ramping up support for vulnerable children and families in Ukraine who are facing additional hardships this winter season. Renewed attacks on critical infrastructure have disrupted basic services like electricity, heating and water. The impact of these disruptions is particularly acute for vulnerable children and their families, who are also experiencing prolonged economic hardship because of the war. These needs are seen most directly in war-affected areas of Ukraine’s east and south.

Following a recent approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, UNICEF and the Government of Ukraine have established a new partnership for the delivery of humanitarian cash assistance. This cash support programme will target the most vulnerable families in Ukraine, including those with three or more children, children with disabilities, as well as single parents, primarily in areas hardest hit by the war in eight frontline districts in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.

“The new cash assistance initiative, launched in partnership with Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy, and our work with authorities to keep critical social infrastructure operational will help millions of children and their families in Ukraine get through this winter,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine.  

This new partnership will help ensure that more vulnerable families in Ukraine can receive life-saving humanitarian support. For the first time, UNICEF cash support will directly target families identified by the Ministry of Social Policy as “low income”. This expands the reach of UNICEF’s ongoing humanitarian cash assistance programme for winter, which also aims to help vulnerable children and families meet their urgent and unique needs.

Moreover, UNICEF is continuing its work with central and regional authorities to ensure the ongoing operation of critical water supply, heating, health, and education facilities by providing equipment like generators.

UNICEF is also providing winter clothing sets for children along with blankets for their families. To date, UNICEF has distributed over 20,800 winter clothing kits for children in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

“Millions of Ukrainian children are experiencing significant challenges with their childhood being stolen. UNICEF is working every day with partners, including local authorities and communities, to ensure that particularly vulnerable children do not continue to bear the brunt of this war,” Mammadzade said.