Conflict in Ukraine
And how UNICEF is helping children
What’s happening in Ukraine?
Eight years of armed conflict has already disrupted the lives of more than 500,000 children in Ukraine, leaving them in desperate need of support.
Now, more than half of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been displaced by the ongoing war.
Homes, schools, water supplies and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. Children have been separated from their families, and hundreds of thousands of people have been left without clean water, food or electricity.
Explosives are a daily threat to children’s lives.
Donate to Ukraine: help provide clean water, medical supplies and education for Ukraine's children.
What is UNICEF doing in Ukraine?
Together with our partners we are at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Ukraine, delivering urgent support to children and families.
We have been working tirelessly to keep children safe since this conflict began eight years ago and we are determined to remain in Ukraine to reach the most vulnerable children and families.
1. Providing families with food and water
We are helping to provide families with vital access to clean water and nutritious food. In addition, we are calling for the protection of remaining essential infrastructure including sanitation systems, health facilities and schools.
2. Supporting child health and protection services
We are helping to make sure that child health and protection services are available for families who need them. Critical supplies are being provided to cover the immediate needs of families forced to flee across Ukraine. We are also helping to strengthen local health facilities.
3. Supporting refugees with Blue Dot safe spaces
We are working with our partners and the UNHCR to assess the refugee situation in neighbouring countries. We want to make sure families that have been forced to flee their homes are looked after.
As part of this, we are establishing our Blue Dot safe spaces in Moldova, Romania, Belarus, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic. Each Blue Dot has the capacity to provide support to 3,000–5,000 people per day. These Blue Dots will provide key information for displaced families, psychosocial support, safe spaces for mothers and children, and protection for unaccompanied and separated children.
4. Calling for a ceasefire
We are calling for an immediate ceasefire to ensure that humanitarian support can be delivered safely and quickly to children in need. We are determined to remain in Ukraine to reach the most vulnerable children and families.
