UNICEF cash assistance keeps families in Ukraine afloat
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Svitlana struggled to buy basic necessities for her family. Now UNICEF is providing them with financial support.
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Svitlana’s four children are her greatest pride and joy. But, living in a constantly shelled area of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovska region, they are also her biggest worry.
"My eight-year-old daughter Stefania had panic attacks every time when missiles hit somewhere nearby. I tried to support my children, while they supported me. But it was tough.”
"I'm the oldest son. I really worry about my siblings, so sometimes I’ve had to keep my courage and calm to be a pillar of strength and support for our family.”
As a single mother, Svitlana has found strength in her sixteen-year-old son Ivan.
However, as prices for basic goods have risen, so too have Svitlana’s worries. Amid the full-scale war, the family have struggled to get by, especially while Svitlana was on maternity leave with her youngest daughter. Their savings are long gone.
"At one time we were broken completely,” says Svitlana, sadly. “We couldn't even buy bread.”
Now, with the help of a cash assistance programme run by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the family is finally back on track.
Teachers at the school where her children study told Svitlana about UNICEF's support programme. Without wasting any time, she filled out the e-application and the family was able to receive cash assistance within just a few months.
"This assistance helped us to feel more secure about our tomorrow. I realised that I was not alone. In addition to the financial support, UNICEF also helped prepare the children for school by providing us with school backpacks and stationery sets."
With the cash assistance, Svitlana and her family were able to purchase food, warm clothing and pay the rent for their small apartment.
"We already feel so relieved,” says the mother. “The financial support allowed us to buy food for children and provide them with a roof over their heads.”
From March 2022 to December 2023, UNICEF's humanitarian cash assistance programme in Ukraine, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, reached 282,828 vulnerable families, including 762,274 children and at least 69,467 children with disabilities.
Furthermore, to prepare families with children for the winter of 2023-2024, 5218 low-income households and 15961 children from large families, including 1710 children with disabilities, living in Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska and Zaporizhska regions were supported by UNICEF's winterization programme.
