Save kids with Ukrainian Red Cross

Here are some of the recent actions taken by the Ukrainian Red Cross to protect children and improve their lives amid ongoing hardship:

1. Safer Learning Environments in Zaporizhzhia
   In Zaporizhzhia, the Ukrainian Red Cross repaired temporary shelters in three educational institutions: one institute and two kindergartens — to create safer conditions for children, teachers, and parents under the constant threat of attacks. These repairs have made it possible to resume in-person learning and ensure basic protection during air raids.

2. Protective Equipment for Children in Sumy Region
   On 12 September 2025, the Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross, handed over 150 children’s bulletproof vests to the Regional Child Protection Service in Sumy. The region places particular emphasis on evacuating children from high-risk areas, and this protection is vital for ensuring their safety during evacuations from this frontline region, which faces regular attacks.

3. Ongoing Evacuation Efforts from Frontline Regions
   The Ukrainian Red Cross continues evacuation operations in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
   In September alone, volunteers from the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team in Dnipro evacuated 84 residents from frontline villages and towns. Among them were people with limited mobility, elderly individuals, and families with children — for whom the journey to safety offered a chance to regain peace and stability.

   Meanwhile, in Zakarpattia, volunteers in Mukachevo continue to receive evacuation trains, providing first aid and psychological support to those who find the journey particularly difficult. One of the recent trains carried 12 children, the youngest just two years old.

4. Equipping School Shelters
   In June, we provided 10 support kits to equip educational spaces within school shelters.
   Each kit includes essential items for creating a safe and welcoming environment — stationery, anti-stress toys, educational games, children’s books, hygiene products, as well as flashlights and batteries. These kits help enable psychosocial support sessions and allow for a rapid response to children’s needs in times of crisis.

5. Rehabilitation Trips for Children Affected by War
   In the first half of 2025, the Ukrainian Red Cross organized seven rehabilitation trips to camps and resorts for children whose parents had been taken prisoner, killed, or gone missing. A total of 245 children and their families were able to rest and recover in countries including Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Germany, and Uzbekistan.

Thank you for standing with us in helping the most vulnerable. Your support makes all of this possible.

How a Children’s Mobile Health Unit Operates in the Rivne Region - Delivering More than 2,400 Consultations in a Year

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the demand for primary healthcare has increased significantly — particularly among residents of remote communities with limited or no access to medical facilities. In response, the Ukrainian Red Cross has been actively expanding its network of Mobile Health Units (MHUs).

One such initiative is the Children’s Mobile Health Unit, launched in October 2022 in the Rivne region. The decision to establish the unit was based on a preliminary assessment of the local population’s needs.

The team — comprising a paediatrician, a nurse, and a driver — visits the most remote areas of the region on a weekly basis. During these visits, the specialists examine children aged from birth to 18, provide paediatric consultations, take medical histories, examine the heart and lungs, and measure oxygen saturation levels. When necessary, they prescribe over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and children may also receive a thyroid ultrasound.

The Mobile Health Unit operates in close collaboration with the Rivne Regional Military Administration, the Department of Civil Protection and Public Health, the management of the Primary Health Care Centre, and the Rivne Regional Children’s Hospital. While the unit is not formally integrated into the regular healthcare system, it plays a vital role in supporting public health services and safeguarding the health of the region’s youngest residents.