The heartbreaking true story behind the 'forgotten' children of Ukraine

Thousands orphaned, abandoned or forced to be left in orphanages because their parents are unable to feed them

A war broke out in eastern Ukraine last April, leaving thousands dead and even more children abandoned or orphaned. Two fake states, Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic, have been cut off from the rest of the Ukraine and left unable to provide basic necessities to its people.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Kharsyzk can be found in the fake state Donetsk People's Republic. The city's orphanage relies solely on the generosity of paramilitaries for food and medication for the sick and hungry.

Elena Nikulenko, director of the orphanage, said, "We scream out loud to get the food for the children from wherever we can. It is sad to see that most of the children end up here even though their parents are alive. Some are in jail and some have been judged unfit parents. The worst is when a mother or father says, 'I have no money to feed my child, please take care of him or her.'

"They should be in a family, they should feel the love of parents. But, of course, when they are starving living with their families we have to take them in."

Though a ceasefire was negotiated in February, tensions are high and a full-scale attack can happen at any time. 

Nurse Ludmila Chekh described the terror induced by the possibility of more attacks:

"You know how scary it is when a four-year-old-child looks at you with a serious look and asks if we are going to be bombed? Of course, we say no but we don't know either. We still hear fighting from here every night. We still have the basement ready for staying in with the children if anything goes wrong. If the war stops now these kids still have the chance of a happy childhood - not shivering every time it thunders because they think it is more shelling."

The ceasefire is often violated and in Petrovsk, a suburb of Donetsk, a bomb shelter has been housing a group of families including 16 children, five of which are under three-years-old.

Twenty-three-year-old Svetlana, mother-of-three, said, "We walk and play outside during the day, maybe going home to get something that we need. But usually we stay around the shelter. You never know what will happen. On June 3, a missile landed close to the shelter. Our kids know all the weapons by the sound of the explosion. They tell us, 'It's a Grad (rocket launcher)' or 'It's a howitzer.' They can tell the distance. The four-year-old says, 'It's still far away' and keeps on playing."

Next month United Nations member states will sign a list of 17 locations to produce a "radically better planet" by 2030, according to Daily Mail. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are meant to fight disease, child mortality rates, gender inequality, environmental degradation, climate change and ethnic conflicts.

UNICEF has been working with children in the Ukraine, offering as much help as they are able. UNICEF Ukraine representative Giovanna Barberis said, "The most vulnerable children in eastern Ukraine, including orphans, displaced children and children with disabilities, have been the hardest hit. Thousands of conflict-affected children in eastern Ukraine do not have access to education, health, protection and family care.

"The UN Sustainable Development Goals will include robust targets to end violence against children and provide quality education and healthcare. Every child deserves an equal chance in life."

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