Emergency in Ukraine: 7.5 million girls and boys need urgent help

The escalating conflict in Ukraine threatens the lives and well-being of 7.5 million girls and boys. Humanitarian needs are increasing every day. Some 12 million people are in need of medical assistance and lack access to safe drinking water, while more than 900,000 have left the country. UNICEF Argentina launched a solidarity campaign to help the victims of the crisis.   

Infrastructure damage affected the electricity supply in the midst of a harsh winter and hundreds of homes, schools, care homes and health centres have been damaged and/or destroyed. In addition, due to shortages of essential medical supplies, urgent efforts to curb a polio outbreak that could have serious consequences for children’s health have had to be halted.  The spiral of violence also left thousands of girls and boys injured and traumatized and around a million have already fled Ukraine seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.  “We heard the sounds of explosions and got scared, so we decided to run away. My husband brought us to the border with Romania. I ran with my son, I didn’t stop for a second. I’m terrified,” said Xenia, a mother who received assistance after crossing into the neighboring country. More than a week after the escalation of the conflict, the number of refugees in Poland, Romania, Moldova continues to increase. This large-scale displacement of the population could become one of the biggest refugee crises in Europe since World War II.  “The conflict in Ukraine is causing irreparable harm to the children of that country: we cannot be indifferent. Thousands of families are displaced daily, humanitarian needs throughout the country multiply. Shelter and essential supplies are a priority to help save lives,” said Luisa Brumana, UNICEF Representative in Argentina.  
From the first day of the conflict, UNICEF has been working in Ukraine to provide children with essential health, education, protection and water and sanitation services. It is also rapidly scaling up its response to protect families crossing borders seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. These efforts include creating safe “Blue Dot” spaces along transit routes so that they have access to basic services during their journey to their final destination. Last Saturday, a shipment of UNICEF humanitarian supplies arrived in Lviv, western Ukraine, from UNICEF’s Global Supply and Logistics Centre in Copenhagen. This is the first part of a convoy of six trucks carrying around 62 tons of supplies to the country, which is severely affected by the conflict. To collaborate with UNICEF and the emergency in Ukraine, the agency has a telephone number 0810-333-4455 and also a website help.unicef.org.  

Original source in Spanish