As AVSI, we express our sorrow for all the victims and great concern about the war that has broken out in the Middle East, where we have been working since 1993 with development cooperation projects, particularly in education, protection, health, and economic development.
It is freezing in Ukraine. Thousands have been sleeping in subway stations and makeshift bunkers to protect themselves from bombs. For over a million people, the time has come to flee. Across the eastern part of the country, women, children and the elderly daily board any bus or train they can find heading west and south, either to cities like Lviv (Leopoli) near the Polish border, or continuing further into Poland, Romania, and Moldova. How long will they be gone?
Living in an orphanage in Ukraine is usually a traumatizing experience, even in peaceful times. Estimates put the number of youth in orphan care in the country at about 90,000. The majority are social orphans, meaning they have been placed in institutions because their parents could not care for them on account of extreme poverty, abuse, or abandonment. Around age 16, orphans must leave the boarding schools or other care institutions because state funding runs out. Yet, having spent their whole lives without parental love and care, most are woefully unprepared for independent adult living.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, thousands have fled their homes, crossing borders to find refuge with family and friends in neighboring countries. AVSI-USA asks you to join us in this urgent appeal so we can respond quickly and directly to help Ukrainians fleeing from war.
