Four years on. Still standing with the children of Ukraine
As we mark four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, we reiterate our support for our members in Ukraine and invite you to support their vital work.
Across Ukraine and neighbouring countries, Eurochild members have worked tirelessly under extraordinary circumstances, often suspending their regular activities to provide emergency aid, safe shelter and psychological care to children experiencing trauma and loss. At the same time, they have carried the immense responsibility of continuing to defend and advance children’s rights in the midst of conflict.
In times of war, the risk of regression is real: child protection systems come under strain, poverty deepens, access to education and healthcare is disrupted, and the most vulnerable - including children with disabilities and those without parental care - face heightened risks. Because of the war, there’s also a lack of data, which makes it even more difficult to assess the situation and propose concrete solutions to the key issues experienced by children. Despite these challenges, our members remain steadfast in their commitment to ensure that children’s rights are not set aside, but protected and prioritised, even in the darkest of times.
How we supported the government of Ukraine
In these challenging times, the government of Ukraine has taken various steps to protect children’s rights and align with the EU standards in light of the EU Accession. Since Ukraine became a candidate country, we have been informing the European Commission of the enlargement reports for Ukraine, based on the information provided by members in our Flagship Report. In 2025, we have taken our support a step further, by providing training to Ukraine’s Coordination Center to leverage the EU accession to ensure children’s rights, as well as training on the European Child Guarantee for UNICEF Ukraine. Now, we look forward to continuing to support the implementation of the National Plan for implementing the European Child Guarantee.
The needs of unaccompanied children and their guardians
Eurochild, in a joint statement, called for stronger EU protection for unaccompanied and separated children from Ukraine, urging clear residency paths, comprehensive support, and long-term safeguards as many face legal uncertainty and shrinking NGO support.
As part of the GUIDE project, we also launched Guardians, a video featuring a guardian and a trainer from Ukraine who were interviewed about supporting children fleeing the invasion and arriving alone in foreign countries.
A resource for children
In 2022, Eurochild created and printed a colouring book to help children cope with fears related to the war, which was distributed in schools and centres. Download it in Ukrainian, Czech, English, Hungarian, Polish, and Romanian.
What you can do: Help our members help children in Ukraine
Connect with our members below to learn more about their vital work in the country, and consider donating to help them continue delivering essential support on the ground:
- Charitable Fund "BGV”
- Charity Fund EDUKIDS
- Charity Organisation "Charity Fund RIDNI"
- Emile Foundation
- International Charity Partnership for Every Child
- International NGO “International Leadership and Development Center
- Kids of Ukraine Charity Fund
- Polina Klykova
- Star for Life Ukraine
- Stichting Children of Heroes of Ukraine
- Ukrainian Child Rights Network
- Ukrainian Charity Foundation Children of Heroes
- Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health
- “Voices of Children” Charitable Fund
Further readings
- Eurochild supports Ukraine’s Coordination Center to leverage the EU accession to ensure children’s rights
- Supporting children’s rights in Ukraine
- Ukraine 2023: What are the challenges to uphold children’s rights during the conflict in Ukraine?
- Two years on, what are the needs of Ukraine's children and families?
- Eurochild's Ukrainian members protecting the right of children to be children during war
- Watch the Guardians video on YouTube or below:
