OUR STAFF SUPPORT TO UKRAINE
On 10 October, 2022, a playground in Kyiv, Ukraine was attacked, just 1 km from Save the Children Ukraine office. Grace, Child Protection Technical Advisor at Save the Children Hong Kong, was taken aback by the news as she worked there just a few weeks ago. She cannot imagine what could happen if she were still in the Ukraine office.
IN TIMES OF CRISIS, SAVE THE CHILDREN IS ALWAYS THERE
When our Ukraine office called for international experts with child protection knowledge to help combat the humanitarian situation, we responded with pride and deployed Grace to Ukraine as Case Management Technical Advisor. Grace has more than 10 years of child protection experience, and has exactly the knowledge that our Ukraine office needed.
She left in late July and stayed for 5 weeks. During her deployment, she worked in Kyiv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi offices, where she trained over 50 staff of our Save the Children Ukraine office and partner NGOs. She also helped develop guidelines of case management so Ukranian children in turmoil can be taken care of.
Grace provided child protection training to staff of Save the Children Ukraine office and partner NGOs.
“We learned from the TV news that many children and their families have been displaced to other places in Ukraine or nearby countries. Yet, you might not ever imagine, some of our new staff and even partner organisations were forced to leave their home towns.” Grace was astonished.
Grace told us that the cities looked normal, but were surrounded by stillness and tension. Soldiers armed with machine guns guarded the government buildings. There were not many commercial activities on the streets except supermarkets and restaurants.
When Grace checked in at the hotels, she always asked 2 most important questions – the curfew time and shelter location. Growing up in Hong Kong, she never experienced airstrike sirens before, not to mention going into a shelter. This was a new experience. Grace remembered that the first time the air strike siren came at night, she did not react but went back to sleep. Later, another airstrike siren went off, and a colleague told her to run to the shelter for safety. At that time, she did not have time to panic and she grabbed what she could to bring to the shelter.
Luckily, she only stayed there for 20 minutes. She dared not tell her family or friends as this would scare them. During her stay in Ukraine, the airstrike sirens, which mostly came at night, became a routine. It was a constant reminder of the realities of war.
The cities in Ukraine are surrounded by tension and minimal commercial activities.
“One of our colleagues stayed in Ukraine with her daughter, and her husband went to the battlefield. Actually, she could have started a new life in Spain with skillsets she possesses but she chose to stay because she loved her country and the children she served. I was very grateful and honored to have a co-workers who are so committed to protecting children at times of crisis.” Grace said.
“I am also awed by the bravery of the Ukrainian people choosing to stay in the time of turmoil. They are aware of what is going on in their country, but they try to live well and carry on with their daily lives.”
OUR WORK WAS RECOGNISED BY THE UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY
“There are many UN agencies providing services in Ukraine and Save the Children is one of the few international NGOs there. When moving to different offices by car with the logo of Save the Children, we were not required to have an in-depth inspection, unlike others, because our work to support children and families in need is highly recognised and trusted by the Ukrainian community and government. I’m so proud of being part of Save the Children. I cherish this opportunity and this is an unforgettable memory for me.”
Save the Children in Ukraine has reached 219,215 people, including 121,100 children.
Since her return to Hong Kong, Grace has often told people around her how beautiful Ukraine is. Whenever she looks up at the sky, she cannot stop thinking of the azure sky and sunflower blossom she saw during her trip to Ukraine. She also thinks of the smiling faces of colleagues and children in Ukraine, which lifts her spirits and motivates her to do even more for the most vulnerable children around the world, as the Child Protection Technical Advisor at Save the Children Hong Kong.