Source: ChildFund New Zealand
Tomorrow will mark four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“That’s longer than the duration of their war against the Nazis,” says Josie Pagani, CEO of ChildFund New Zealand.
“Charities like ChildFund have remained working in the country and the region since the start, through our local partners. We could not support the children we do, without the generosity of Kiwis who have kept supporting us since the war started.”
The latest statistics are shocking:
- 4.6 million children entering their fourth consecutive year of disrupted schooling
- 10% of school and educational facilities damaged (1,700 facilities)
- 2,859,000 children displaced; one third of Ukraine’s child population
- 62.89% of these displaced children are now refugees
- Bombs have killed or injured more than 3,200 children since February 2022.
- 2025 saw a 10% increase over the year prior for child casualties
- Nearly 200 medical facilities have been destroyed or damaged in 2025 alone.
Through its partner, We World, ChildFund New Zealand has also helped support 7,334 people (adults and children) across Ukraine with mental and psychosocial health sessions. Safe centres for children have been set up in protected and underground spaces, offering educational, psychosocial and recreational activities.
This winter, temperatures have already dropped to -20 degrees Celsius. The renewed attacks on energy infrastructure mean widespread blackouts, and no reliable access to heating and water.
“Ukrainian children and their families need us more than ever.”
