The Struggle to Save Ukraine’s Children on the Front

In Druzhkivka, a town just 11 miles from the front line, the distant sound of bombs was a constant backdrop as children ran and played on the playground outside. Overhead, the hum of drones blended with the chatter of families gathered at a community center, now repurposed as a shelter in the Donetsk region. Members of Dobra Sprava and LOVE UA hosted the event, bringing gifts, treats, and adults dressed in festive costumes to entertain the kids. Once families emerge from hiding, volunteers document their details to keep track of who remains in the area.

Funded by Ukraine Trust Chain, a US-registered nonprofit, the gathering drew dozens of mothers and grandparents who came with their children and grandchildren. These events for children aren’t just meant to make them happy during wartime. They also help volunteers keep track of how many kids live in the area and where they stay, so they can evacuate them if needed. Over 100 children still live in this area near the front in the Donetsk region. Without these events, many families remain hidden, leaving volunteers unaware of who needs evacuation until it’s too late.

“We give them medicine, everything we can, and help them move on. We do everything for free. We feed them three times a day. They have a clean bed. If they have any needs, even if there is a situation that they need a psychologist, we call them, we work with people, and help them move on. A person can stay here for three days to a week before being relocated further into Ukraine,” said Svitlana Hrekova, who manages the shelter in Druzhkivka.

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It’s very hard to convince someone to leave and travel far, according to Ihor Zhyrov, director of the Dobra Sprava Charitable Foundation. “The main reason people stay here is their homes. This is the key factor. Many people don’t know where they will go next or what will happen to them. They’ve lost everything – their jobs, their livelihoods, their homes, and everything they once lived for,” he explained.

“People hold on to the hope that their homes will remain intact, that the situation at the front will improve, and that they’ll soon be able to return,” said Svitlana. “This sense of being close to home keeps them here because starting over from scratch is incredibly difficult,” she noted.

“A child cannot ask their parents to leave or say that the child is afraid. They look at their behavior and are with their parents under the bombing. Children cannot be here. Parents need to think not about their own desires, but about the well-being of their children,” noted Svitlana.

Ihor described how there was one recent instance where one family was evacuated and eventually, the parents decided to take their children and return to their home on the frontline, where an 11-year-old child was tragically killed by Russian shelling.

Another significant challenge for families who refuse to evacuate far from the frontline is the inability to find any sense of stability in their lives. There is no work in the area, and there are no functioning kindergartens or schools. Parents struggle to provide education for their children, leaving them isolated and deprived of social interaction, which significantly impacts their development. Even when families find a semblance of normalcy, it is often fleeting as the frontlines advance. Many of these families simply move to the next town, waiting and hoping for the chance to return to their homes.

“If families decide to travel further from the frontlines, everything is provided free of charge,” explained Svitlana. “This is made possible through the efforts of volunteers, charitable funds, and our state program, which is still operational and works very well. We help people relocate to Pavlohrad, where they can board a train that takes them to Lviv.”

Volunteers were also scheduled to travel to Kostiantynivka, a town closer to the frontlines, to evacuate families under mandatory orders requiring children to leave the area. However, one set of parents failed to appear, prompting police to search for the couple who were reportedly hiding their young children to avoid evacuation.

Yet, the challenges persist. Convincing families to leave their homes, even under the threat of constant shelling, remains a monumental task. The emotional and logistical barriers to evacuation are immense, rooted in the fear of the unknown and the hope that someday they can return to a life that feels familiar.