Children

Children across Ukraine have experienced death, injury and deprivation over nearly 4 years of war. As of late 2025, estimates from Save the Children, based on “new United Nations figures,” cite 733 children killed and 2,285 injured since February 2022. The real numbers are likely to be higher, due to undercounting or lack of verification, especially in occupied areas or active-combat zones.

April 2025 marked the month in which the most children - 97 - were killed or injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine. On 4 April, a missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih was the deadliest, single attack on children since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to UN-verified data. The missile hit a residential neighbourhood, striking a playground and nearby apartment buildings, killing 18 people, including nine children, and injuring 75 others, among them 12 children. Many of the casualties were in the playground. (https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/2025/ukraine-april-marks-deadliest-month-children-nearly-three)

In Kharkiv there is a statue to commemorate children who have lost their lives, which is strewn with soft toys in an ever-growing pile.

Meanwhile, Myra, aged 3, who recently moved from Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, to Trawden, northern England, can play in a park without her mother being in fear of attacks from drones or missiles.

6 December was St Nicholas Day (День Святого Миколая) in Ukraine. On the Eve, December 5, children write letters to St. Nicholas, telling him about their good deeds and their desired gifts, which they put them under their pillows; in the morning they look under the pillow for gifts and sweets. Other traditions on St. Nicholas Day include visiting church to pray for prosperity and, in difficult times, hope for a bright future and salvation. The Mayor of Kharkiv, Ігор Терехов, wrote: 

"All children of Ukraine today smile less often than they should. But, despite this, every child has the right to happiness today. And our task as adults is to give them peace, care, tranquillity and the feeling that we are there and will take care of them. Children from frontline communities need this support the most - those who live near danger every day, who grow up to the sounds of shelling and learn to be brave too early. I believe that our children will have much more bright moments ahead. But even such special days of joy that appear in their lives in the middle of the war will remain in their memory forever - as a reminder that even in the most difficult times, we did everything to envelop their childhood with our love. And I really want us to celebrate the next St. Nicholas Day together in Kharkiv - under a clear peaceful sky, which we have been waiting for so long."

St Nicholas Day celebrations were held for children, underground.

Thanks to your donations, the lives of a few children in difficult and dangerous situations were made a little better. In Kherson (where I used to deliver humanitarian aid) the situation with regard to aid, now, is dire, because the highway leading to Kherson is under constant drone attacks and very few people will risk their lives to make aid deliveries. Anastasiia, a community leader, wrote to charities asking for help to support children in the Christmas holiday, saying, "Children deserve a little happiness in this chaos and madness,"  but she did not hear anything. So I sent a donation to buy products for a few families in need, including some treats for children. Anastasiia sent itemised receipts of everything she spent, as she always does, and photos of the families who received the food. Her daughter, Coco, helped to choose the treats for children.

I sent a box of donated food and other items from Jos (HK volunteer) and me, to a family in a village in Kharkiv region. The family was identified as being in need by the charity, Adults for Children: "Very poor family, father is military at war, 4 children, 1 of them disabled." The disabled child needs to wear diapers, which are very expensive here in proportion to most people's incomes. The mother recorded a phone message, thanking us very much and saying how happy the children were. I included a Trawden hand-knitted bear for each child, which I put into a little box with a note (in Ukrainian) about where the bears came from.

Hell's Kitchen Update

For the second year in a row, local volunteers chose American Thanksgiving Day to show their appreciation for foreign volunteers, with a party after work. The kitchen volunteers spent the morning cooking the most delicious Ukrainian food.

Liuda gave us individual, handwritten thank you notes. Mine said that my "efforts go far beyond the essential work of baking bread or washing dishes; they represent unwavering loyalty and a belief in justice." It really meant a lot to hear this because it expresses exactly how I feel, and why I'm happy to go into the Kitchen every day.

Just as last year, we have many foreign volunteers coming over the Christmas/New Year period. As Franklin expressed in a group post on International Volunteer Day (5 December): "To all of you who have come from your home towns to make an impact in Ukraine, a big thank you. As I often say, out of so many places you could spend your time off, you choose instead to come out here so close to the border, right in a targeted city, to work hard day after day, and then you go home only to save up for your next trip to Kharkiv."

Donations

Thank you, as always, for your donations; however small, they are always effective.

A special thanks to Katya and Derek, and to Trawden Community Shop volunteers, who recently held a festive fair and donated the proceeds from the Ukraine stall, which was reportedly very busy! The combined donations were significant and I divided them amongst:

The apartment community in Kherson, mentioned above;

Hell's Kitchen;

Inna's camouflage group to help fund six rolls of camouflage fabric for a brigade in the Kharkiv region;

And Franklin's fundraising drive for winter thermal tops and bottoms for the troops, made by a Kharkiv factory, owned by a combat veteran. Each set costs 520 UAH (about $13 USD/just over £9). This unit received some of the thermal tops and bottoms that we bought.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and also, for your comments.

To make a donation to the regular causes I support, please open PayPal and, when asked for email, enter sunflower_house@hotmail.co.uk

You can specify where you would like your donation to go, including whether or not you wish to support a civilian only cause; otherwise I will send the money where I think the need is greatest:

Adults For Children supports children's physical and emotional well being in Kharkiv, and also local soldiers.

Hell's Kitchen cooks daily, nutritious meals and bakes bread, for hospitals, wounded soldiers and others in need.

Franklin, Hell's Kitchen foreign volunteer coordinator, supports soldiers and medics on the frontline.

Inna runs a small group of volunteers who make camouflage nets, ghillie suits and stretchers.

If you would like to donate to a charity that supports animals, there is Animal Rescue Kharkiv.