When a child with special health needs is born, life changes completely for the entire family
Daily routines, meals, transportation, education, therapy sessions, communication — even how birthdays are celebrated — everything revolves around helping the child live and grow with dignity and joy.
To manage this, families rely on stable infrastructure: access to healthcare, education, social services, and community support. Before the war, Ukraine had made remarkable progress in this area. Inclusion of children with special needs in schools was becoming a reality. These children were no longer seen as a stigma — they were part of society, supported and valued.
Then the war changed everything
For families raising children with disabilities, everyday life has become a struggle for survival. Some fled abroad, while others stayed — out of courage, or because leaving simply wasn’t possible. But how do you raise a child with special needs in a country under constant bombardment? Parents face impossible choices: How do you protect a bedridden child during an air raid? How do you evacuate a child in a wheelchair when the sirens go off?
All children in Ukraine are traumatized by the war — but for those with special needs, the suffering is even deeper. Many fathers are at the front; mothers stay home, unable to work, caring for their children around the clock. Social services have been destroyed, resources are scarce, and despair grows.
And yet, there is a hope
In the city of Zaporizhzhia, just about 50 kilometers from the front line, many families with children who have special needs live—lovingly cared for by their relatives. Since 2015, our partner organization has been supporting a total of 25 of these families. Thanks to the generous support of numerous donors, we have already been able to deliver Christmas gifts, therapeutic aids, and medical equipment in 2024.
A single drop of help can become a sea of hope
Join us in bringing hope to children like Taisia, Miroslava, Taras, and Mikita, and to their families in Zaporizhzhia who continue to love, care, and believe — even in the darkest of times.
