Ukraine's Children of War: Tangible Help, Critical Healing

Dire. There is no other word I can think of that so aptly describes the situation here in Ukraine for the children.

My name is Abigail and I’m an American humanitarian working on the ground in Ukraine. If I could share one thing three years post-2022 invasion, it is this: The war is not over. The suffering continues to intensify, and the most vulnerable—the children—are bearing the heaviest burden.

Now more than three years into this devastating war, the psychological and physical toll on children is catastrophic. 75% of Ukrainian children urgently need humanitarian assistance, many if not most of them suffering from ongoing, collective, and complex trauma. Right now, children are forced to live entirely underground—including school, sleeping, and eating. Can you imagine? The emotional scars of this war are mounting, and they need healing now. I’ve come to realize this:

Wars don’t wait. And neither can we.

These little lights—all you need to do is look in their eyes—are the bright future. They are the hope of tomorrow!

We are raising urgent funds to continue and expand our trauma healing programs in the most dire areas of Ukraine. In 2023/4, the strategy I developed and continue to lead into its now fourth phase yielded impactful results:

But the need is overwhelming and we have children's frontline workers seeking training now...

With your support, we will train 20 additional frontline workers—many of them active or "hot zones"—so they can begin healing work immediately. These workers will receive critical trauma training and certification, enabling them to run trauma healing groups for hundreds of children in air raid shelters, orphanages, and more in late summer 2025. Your donation will provide them with the tools and support they need to heal this wave of children who need urgent help.

Additionally, the tangible needs are real. In the first round of this GoFundMe together with private funds, we excitedly bought and delivered a very large power pack powering an entire children's rehab center! I receive requests for critical needs for children regularly and would love your help in connecting needs and solutions!

Our goal to continue the trauma healing work in summer 2025 is $25168. Sharing is supporting and I sincerely appreciate your heart and help. Thank you!