[4] Ukraine Humanitarian Response 2023 Winter Attacks: Humanitarian Impact of Intensified Strikes and Hostilities – Flash Update #2 (29 Dec 2023) [EN/UK] - Ukraine | ReliefWeb
The organization keeps a continuous nationwide security monitoring system, focusing particularly on operational zones. All services extended to program participants strictly adhered to safety protocols, emphasizing the well-being of both participants and personnel. Regular briefings were conducted to educate SOS Children's Villages Ukraine staff on safety measures, covering topics such as missile attacks, fire safety, travel precautions, and more. Moreover, a Travel Safety Program was instituted to guarantee the safety of international visitors.
To present a thorough summary of the program's reach since its initiation in April 2022, the table below illustrates the total cumulative program participants in SOS Ukraine, segmented by gender and age groups. This data is intended to provide a more detailed insight into the organization's impact and outreach over time. It's noteworthy that individuals with disabilities constituted 2% of the program participants, and children in family-type care comprised 4% of the total children reached.
SOS Refugee-hosting countries
Since the beginning of the war SOS hosting countries have been working tirelessly to provide multiple services to program participants that arrived from Ukraine. To monitor the status of projects, hosting countries submit every two months a narrative report that compiles the status of the activities, an overview of the programs’ development, HR updates, and challenges and lessons learnt among other topics. In addition, they submit their financial reports quarterly. Please, see below an overview of the ongoing activities based on the submitted narrative reports. For more information and details of per country progress report, please visit this link.
Highlights
Sofiya wants to run again.
Ten-year-old Sofiya has a dream: “I want to run,” she says quietly, but confidently, adding: “Again!”
It’s a cold autumn day. Sofiya sits on an outdoor bench in a rehabilitation centre in western Ukraine. The girl is in a second round of physical rehabilitation aimed at restoring, improving and stabilizing the functional capabilities of her legs that were severely injured in a rocket attack of her hometown.
Childhood, stopped.
In early 2023, a year since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sofiya’s hometown in eastern Ukraine was viciously attacked with rocket fire. A nearby high-rise collapsed throwing rubble over Sofiya’s home. At least one child died, and many were trapped and injured. Sofiya was one of them.
Rescuers found Sofiya in critical condition. The girl was crushed under a concrete slab causing severe blood loss. Both her legs were so badly injured that the rescuers couldn’t lift her up at once.
Sofiya spent five months in the hospital, completely immobile, and without a will to live.
Sparks of hope
In the rehabilitation centre, Sofiya is with her mom. “When Sofiya got injured, my heart broke in million pieces,” mom says. “But I knew I had to stay strong to give all my strength to my little girl. She laid in the hospital telling me: ‘mom, I don’t want to live’.” Sofiya’s mom abruptly stops speaking. Her eyes fill with tears, her throat chokes. She looks away swallowing her tears.
“That was my catastrophe,” mom continues after a while. “I saved my sadness for my lonely moments. When Sofiya was awake, I focused on giving her all my strength to lift her up mentally and physically. I knew she needed all my strength to regain hers, so she can begin to get up, to start walking and to become healthy again.”
Sofiya gets up and walks around her mom. In late spring 2023, with financial help from SOS Children’s Villages, Sofiya came to the rehabilitation centre for the first time - in a wheelchair. Over the course of this first treatment, the girl started using a walker, and then began walking with crutches.
Today, mid-way of the second treatment Sofiya can walk with only occasionally leaning on her mom. She has a severe limp that slows her movements, but her eyes are sparkling with joy only children have.
Not giving up
“Fifty-fifty,” the ten-year-old gives a cunning grin, wrinkling her nose, when asked if she likes school. “I’m not really a big fan of school.” Sofiya is in the fifth grade of primary school which she attends online. Her schooling, along with her childhood, has been severely interrupted by the war.
The girl goes on to explain that she didn’t really like the first four grades of school. She started schooling with physical attendance, and then had to switch to online because of the pandemic and then the war. Now, in the fifth grade, her classes are different and harder because she has new subjects and a different teacher for each subject.
“There are some good things about school,” Sofiya says while nodding her head recounting what she likes. “I like drawing and painting. I like to glue paper. I like to draw people, but faces are a bit problematic for me. Luckily, I’m quite persistent, so I keep on drawing faces, and I know I’ll get it right.”
Back to her real self
“I also like to play games on the mobile phone with my school friends. That counts as school, right?” Sofiya asks laughing. “Roblox, that’s where we’re at most of the time,” she continues laughing. The mobile phone, along with a laptop to help with her online schooling and some seasonal clothing were all provided by SOS Children’s Villages.
Mom smiles through a sigh. “I let her play because that’s the only time she gets to spend with her school friends that can count as socializing. When she was laying in the hospital with her legs all in screws and rods, Sofiya hadn’t seen or been in contact with her friends for five months.”
Mom tears up again, then continues: “It took time to lift her spirits up, but now she’s back to her real self. Sofiya is quite an independent student, and I help her only when I notice she is struggling. I see that she mostly needs help with English and mathematics. To be honest, I’d be happiest if English and mathematics were her biggest problems right now.”
Sofiya will run again!
“Oh, I forgot,” Sofiya jumps back in the conversation. “I also like to draw cats and dogs, especially dogs. And I want to have a dog too. A Jack Russel Terrier just like hero dog Patron. My dog will be faithful, useful, and brave, just like Patron. Mom says I can have a dog like that when I finish therapy and I’m healthy enough to walk the dog. I know Jack Russel Terriers are very energetic. You can’t walk such a dog, you need to run it,” Sofiya laughs and adds: “I want to run. Again.”
Mom says Sofiya is a pure-hearted girl who will surely have success in life. “Businesswoman, I will be a successful businesswoman, mom!” Sofiya says proudly. “I know I need to study well, but I also need to learn other things. Like how to play Uno,” Sofiya winks. “I just don’t have the cards for the game.”
The giggles of the little girl make her mom smile. “After everything Sofiya has been through, after everything our family has been through, I don’t have much strength left in me. I tell my girl that now she must fight for herself and be strong for her future. I know she’ll do it. Sofiya will run again.”
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