Ukraine Tensions: No Child Forgotten

Dear friends! 

We have an update about how your generous donations helped Ukrainian disabled children get remedial therapies essential for the pain-management and improving their health.

The war in Ukraine has significantly impacted children's health and well-being, especially when it comes to children with disabilities; they often face an increased risk of harm during armed conflict and crises.

War and poverty are raging through Ukraine, leaving vulnerable families to their own devices. While Ukraine is at war, the state has prioritised the needs of its military, and other areas are heavily underfunded. Mothers of children with disabilities have reported that their government support payments have been delayed, so vulnerable families have no option other than turning to charities for help. 

This time, we made payments of UAH 228870 (total USD 7824) towards physical treatments for nine children with disabilities - Timur, Vadim, Veronika, Timur, Veronika, Mark, Dmitrii, Makar and Diana - some of them were forcibly displaced because of the conflict, some children are raised by single moms. 

Here we wanted to share with you some of the stories of our children, they have been through a lot, and this war made it much harder for these families to survive. 

The family of five-year-old Makar has suffered a lot. Recently, Makar lost his father, who died as a hero defending our country. Makar and his mom Anna had been forced to leave home due to active fighting in their native Kharkiv region. Anna is an example of courage; despite everything, she fights for her son's health and finds the strength to help others!

Mark is a five-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. In 2014, Mark, his sister and his mom, Halina, fled the war in the East of Ukraine, leaving everything behind. Now, the war found them again. We are confident that dark times don't last, and we are happy to help Mark attend his physical therapy course. 

One of the children is nine-year-old Timur, a boy from Mariupol. Timur's mom Natalia reported that they managed to flee Mariupol, a city that is practically destroyed now, and they are now in Lviv. She said, 'we have been running away from war since 2014, and now we have lost everything but our lives.' Despite everything, mom Natalia is fighting for her son's health.

There is no chance these families would be able to afford to pay for the treatment under the current circumstances. We are very grateful to you for enabling us to help disabled children to receive their much-needed treatments - these children should not become the forgotten victims of this war. 

Please help us keep conversations about Ukraine and Ukrainian children in need circulating. If someone asks you, 'but, what can I do?', direct them to Bright Kids Charity, an approachable and transparent grassroots charity that provides practical help. We are always happy to answer any questions, and we welcome new donors, be they individuals or businesses alike. 

Thank you for standing with Ukraine.

Warm regards, 

Natalie Blinder 

Founder of Bright Kids Charity 

Links:

• Our website
• Our projects on GlobalGiving

This report is the most unusual we have written in Bright Kids Charity history. 

In January, we made a payment of 8,400 Hryvnia's (US$286) towards a physical rehabilitation course for Sasha. Then, on the 24th of February, Russia invaded Ukraine, and everything changed to 'before' the invasion and 'since' the invasion. Time was instantly divided.

The war has provoked unprecedented changes in the way we live. The safety and survival of Ukrainians is a priority. While almost 3.9 million people, including children with disabilities, have been able to seek protection in other European countries, millions of people have stayed in Ukraine. 

The children we support are staying behind. This project that helps children with disabilities access necessary treatments have gained new importance since the war started. This project aims to help children with disabilities that are staying in Ukraine access essential medical treatments. 

Our next report will focus on projects achieved under new circumstances; 'since' the invasion. We will be reporting on children who have had medical treatments since the war started. There is so much need for that! The children that have gotten through this war deserve access to the treatment they require. 

We want to thank everyone for standing with Ukraine and its most vulnerable children! 

Links:

• Our website

• GG_report_March_2022.pdf (PDF)