Emergency Backpack: Caring for Children in War

Thanks to your generous support, 151 children from the "Nadiya" Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi Educational and Rehabilitation Center in Cherkasy region, Ukraine, have received essential educational and creative supplies worth 66,486 UAH through the Emergency Backpack project. These children now have access to much-needed materials, including notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, colored paper, sketch pads, markers, and paint sets – giving them the tools to continue learning, expressing themselves, and reclaiming a sense of normalcy despite the ongoing war.

This initiative is part of the broader Humanitarian Response Program of the Charity Fund “Blagomay”, which is dedicated to supporting vulnerable children across Ukraine during times of crisis.

Q1 2025 Humanitarian Program Impact:

• 1,732 children reached

• 21 institutions supported

• Total value of aid distributed: 1,163,374 UAH

Our beneficiaries include:

• Children with special educational needs

• Children from family-type orphanages

• Internally displaced children

• Families who lost their homes due to war

Many of the children we support have experienced unimaginable hardship. They have been forced to evacuate from their homes, leaving behind their schools, friends, routines, and communities. The trauma of war—air raids, displacement, loss of loved ones, and the constant fear of danger—has deeply impacted their mental and emotional well-being. These children are growing up in an environment of instability, with limited access to education, safe spaces, and support systems.

The situation is especially severe for children with special educational needs (SEN). In the 2023–2024 academic year alone, over 40,000 SEN students were enrolled in general secondary education institutions in Ukraine, reflecting a significant increase from previous years. In preschool education, more than 11,200 children with SEN were registered in 2024—nearly 2.5 times more than in 2019. Altogether, over 60,000 children with special educational needs live in Ukraine today, many of whom require tailored support, rehabilitation, and safe learning environments.

According to UNICEF, the full-scale war in Ukraine has disrupted education for approximately 5.3 million children, primarily due to ongoing hostilities, damage to infrastructure, and power outages. In addition, the war has led to a growing number of children becoming orphans, increasing their vulnerability and dependence on institutional and charitable support.

In this reality, where even the basic right to education is under threat, providing school supplies and creative tools is much more than material aid—it is a source of hope, dignity, and healing. Through each backpack delivered, we offer children the opportunity to learn, express themselves, and rebuild their emotional resilience.

From the entire team at Blagomay, and on behalf of every child we’ve reached — thank you for your continued care, compassion, and action. Your support is not only life-changing—it is lifesaving. Together, we are restoring childhoods and shaping a more hopeful future for the most vulnerable children in Ukraine.