Social workers strive to safeguard children in Ukraine
With the help of UNICEF and partners, social services staff are working hard to protect children and families
- Українська
- English
When Inesa Antonenko arrived for her first day on the job at her new workplace, she found floors full of shattered glass and an office that had been abandoned and ransacked.
But as the new head of the local Children’s Service in the village of Ivanivka, in Ukraine’s Chernihivska region, she had bigger concerns.
“There was no information about the children left. Laptops were stolen and personal files were thrown everywhere.”
Inesa wasted no time restoring the office and helping local children who have been deprived of parental care. Due to the ongoing war, numbers have increased.
Since the service no longer had a computer, she borrowed a laptop from her son, but it was not long until the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) came to her aid.
“UNICEF came to help,” says Inesa, gratefully. "I applied for a laptop via a chat. And then I just received it. For me, it's really helpful. I often bring it home because sometimes I'm just afraid to leave it at the office. Everything that I had been piecing together is on it. And what if something happens again?"
The village of Ivanivka is located 15 kilometres from Chernihiv and is one of the most affected settlements in the region. Many buildings have been left with broken windows, partially covered with foil and boards.
At the height of the hostilities earlier this year, Inesa spent three weeks sheltering in a stifling school basement with 380 people, the youngest just three months old. Eleven people died. Inesa, who previously worked for the Department of Education, felt the children’s stress and trauma keenly – so, when the Chernihivska region came back under Ukrainian control and Inesa was offered the position of Head of Children's Service, she was determined to make a difference.
Inesa and her staff now conduct home visits to ensure that children have adequate living conditions and are cared for by their parents or caregivers.
Recently, she has been helping one boy who lost his mother in the violence, after shrapnel injured her heart.
"We may consider ourselves lucky because there are no significant raise in the number of orphans since the full-scale war started. But we should take into account that this status is only applied to those children who are left without both parents, while there are kids who lost their dads. We know about them and try to provide support."
UNICEF is working with its partners and the government to help ensure that children and families across Ukraine receive the support they need. UNICEF is grateful to USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance for its contribution and support to the people of Ukraine.
UNICEF supports the national ‘Leave No Child Alone’ initiative, which was initiated by the Presidential Advisor on Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation, and launched by the Office of the President of Ukraine, together with UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Policy. To date, almost 1,500 Ukrainians have completed training and are ready to accept children who have been left without parental care into their families.
