Save kids with Ukrainian Red Cross

Protection and support of children remain among the Ukrainian Red Cross's key priorities. In recent months, we have continued providing comprehensive assistance to families with children and other vulnerable groups.

1. Evacuation

Ukrainian Red Cross teams continue evacuating civilians from frontline communities in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv regions.

Special attention is given to families with children, older people, and persons with limited mobility. Volunteers work in coordination to ensure timely, safe transportation and comprehensive assistance during transit.

Between October and December 2025 alone, nearly 3,000 people, including children, were evacuated.

2. Access to Protection

We continue renovating bomb shelters in educational facilities and installing mobile concrete shelters in frontline regions. To date, more than 100 concrete shelters have been delivered and installed in frontline communities, where the risk of injury from FPV drones or shrapnel is higher.

In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, the Ukrainian Red Cross renovated the Sniatyn Psychoneurological Boarding School. The works included major repairs to living spaces, sanitary facilities, storage areas, and the construction of a shelter. The facility currently accommodates 339 residents.

Repairs were also completed at the Baliiasne Secondary School shelter in thePoltava region, restoring safe conditions for continuous education and protecting children during air raid alerts.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, the Ukrainian Red Cross continues improving safe spaces for children and educators. Basement shelters were renovated at four locations. Improvements included flooring and wall repairs, electrical installations, ventilation upgrades, and lighting — creating a safe and comfortable environment for children.

3. Safety Education

The Ukrainian Red Cross continues implementing the "Safety Classroom Sessions" project.

Specialists and volunteers conduct sessions for schoolchildren to develop safe behavior skills and build confidence in emergency situations, in cooperation with the National Police and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The sessions cover the following topics:

• actions during fires and air raid alerts;
• awareness of explosive hazards and safe behavior if such items are encountered;
• what to do if a child gets lost or is approached by a stranger;
• water and internet safety.

4. Heating Points

Winter in Ukraine has been extremely harsh, with temperatures dropping to -20°C. At the same time, Russian attacks on civilian critical infrastructure caused emergency situations, leaving large parts of cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Poltava without heating and electricity. Vulnerable groups, including older persons, persons with disabilities, and children, were among the most affected.

To support communities during the most challenging periods, Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response teams, in partnership with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, deployed heating points in areas without heating.

At these locations, people could warm up, receive hot tea and meals, charge mobile phones, and stay connected with their families. For thousands of people, these heating points became a vital source of support during cold and dark days.