Emergency in Ukraine - Immediate Relief Assistance

For children with cancer in Ukraine, the war adds a second battle to the one they are already fighting. Air raid alarms interrupt therapies, power cuts threaten treatment and many families have had to leave their homes. Your support keeps a safe place open for them.

Meet Radomyr

Radomyr is nine. He is a cheerful, funny boy who loves riding his bike, playing Roblox and spending time with friends. Before he got sick he went to a chess club and a theatre group, and he did very well at school.

For months he complained of pain in his eyes. He saw an eye doctor, an ENT specialist, a neurologist and a gastroenterologist before a neurosurgeon found the real cause. An MRI at Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital showed a malignant brain tumour (a supratentorial ZFTA ependymoma) 10 cm wide. Since then Radomyr has had two surgeries, three cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Along the way the family also lost Radomyr's father, who was defending Ukraine.

After three months in hospital, Radomyr barely wanted to leave his room. Then he arrived at the Dacha, the family home Soleterre runs in Kyiv with our partner Zaporuka. The garden, the bikes and the playground won him over on the first day. "For us, the Dacha is a guarantee of support," says his mother. "Everyone here understands. You can feel calm and joyful, even when the illness brings sadness."

Staying safe in a war zone

The Dacha is always full. To protect families during attacks:

• The bomb shelter was renovated and turned into a bright play space, so alarms are less frightening for children.
• The solar panel system was upgraded so that care continues during blackouts.
• When state medicine supplies were delayed, we moved part of the budget to buy essential drugs for children staying at the Dacha.
• With more families in the house, the shelter could no longer hold everyone. We carried out a safety assessment, changed our alarm procedures and are planning extra protection for the ground floor.

Our home in Lviv, which receives displaced families from western Ukraine, keeps growing, and planning has started for a new home in Dnipro.

Thank you for standing with children like Radomyr. Every donation helps keep the doors of the Dacha open, whatever the night brings.