Growing up within 20 kilometers of the contact line of Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine, one of the first things that children learn is to be extremely careful when playing outside, as there are landmines hidden under and on the ground.
As of August 2020, at least 39 children were killed and 137 were injured due to mines and explosives in the Donbas since the start of Russia’s war in 2014. Ukraine ranks third worldwide in the number of casualties caused by landmines and other explosive remnants of war, according to UNICEF.
About 430,000 children live near the war zone in the eastern Donbas.
Instead of enjoying a blissful carefree childhood, they had to face the realities of the war from an early age. Many of them live in poverty.
But it’s important to remember that “a child is a child,” Murat Sahin, UNICEF representative in Ukraine, said. Organizations like UNICEF Ukraine work in the Donbas so that children can enjoy their youth and get the necessary support.
“Whatever policy or decision that we will make, we need to put the children in front of us,” he told the Kyiv Post.
Since UNICEF opened its office in Kyiv in 1997, the agency has supported the Ukrainian government with nearly $130 million assistance to develop health, water and sanitation, education and children’s rights protection programs.
Safe schools
Sahin, who used to work as a water engineer before he came to UNICEF, never thought that his career would revolve around kids.
It all changed after a devastating earthquake struck near the city of Izmit in northwestern Turkey in 1999, killing more than 30,000 people.
The 47-year-old Turk discovered his passion to help children in need whilst doing the repair works to water supply and other services for UNICEF, an organization he wasn’t very familiar with at the time.
“UNICEF was an opportunity for me to help people,” he says.
Throughout his UNICEF career, Sahin traveled to more than 40 countries and worked in six countries – Turkey, Tajikistan, North Korea, the United States, Kosovo and Ukraine. And wherever he went, he noticed one thing in common – “children love to play (and) children love to interact.” He emphasized that it’s all about ensuring that investments are made before they are too late. Kids need to have access to basic human needs, from clean water to quality education.
When it comes to areas with an ongoing armed conflict like the Donbas, one of the priorities is making sure that children are able to study in a safe school environment. This has not been easy to achieve, as more than 750 educational institutions, including schools and kindergartens on both sides of the contact line, have been damaged since the war started, according to UNICEF. Nine attacks on children and educational facilities have been reported this year alone, the organization’s spokesperson told the Kyiv Post.
Access to water
Sahin, who became head of UNICEF Ukraine in July, believes in the importance of visiting project sites rather than relying on published reports. He is determined not to have “a lost generation” of children.
As a former engineer, he noticed the outdated water supply system that many towns and villages rely on, running all the way from Kramatorsk to Mariupol in the Donbas. UNICEF helps provide access to safe drinking water to the conflict-affected population by supporting Voda Donbasu, the main public water in Donetsk Oblast serving around 3.8 million people on both sides of the contact line.
Another mission is to connect more areas to the centralized water supply.
Those living in remote areas like Mykolaipillia in Donetsk Oblast where an old water tower collapsed in the 1960s struggle the most. Despite having a hot and dry climate, the village only had a single well of drinking water, which meant that families often had to choose between washing, cooking or feeding the animals.
“Access to water is a human right,” Sahin said.
In order to improve the situation, UNICEF has been working with others to upgrade the water supply system in 58 remote areas near the frontline of the war. UNICEF and its partners have drilled 19 boreholes and 8 public water wells, in addition to installing 17 water towers that pressurize water for effective distribution while also storing extra when needed. Water purification systems have also been installed in local communities so that more families get access to cleaner water.
While the village councils funded part of the construction costs, the German government has spent more than $3 million on the decentralized water supply project. The overall UNICEF funding for the initiative is close to $1.9 million.
Referring to the early days of his UNICEF service in Turkey, Murat said, “the challenges are similar, and the solutions are also similar.”
Head of UNICEF Ukraine Murat Sahin (L) fist bumps water and sanitation engineers at a water station in Mariupol in the Donbas region on Sept. 17, 2021. Provided by UNICEF with the support of the German government, the new pumping station provides water for 30,000 people, including four schools and kindergartens, as well as an orphanage. (UNICEF Ukraine/Twitter)
Domestic violence
Another difficulty that children in the Donbas are facing is the rising domestic violence.
Factors like increased poverty, joblessness and constant stress contribute to the problem, according to Naira Avetisyan, Chief of Child Protection section at UNICEF Ukraine, and the pandemic didn’t help.
Easier access to weapons contributes to greater violence as well in domestic disputes.
Children, of course, are damaged emotionally and psychologically as victims or witnesses to abuse, Avetisyan said. “Any conflict has a long-term impact on children,” she told the Kyiv Post.
Families and children living near the contact line, especially, feel the challenges because they have limited access to services.
Since 2017, gender-based violence mobile teams supported by UNICEF have been helping victims, including children. During the pandemic, they continued to operate online. In severe cases when interventions were needed, the teams took their own cars to the victims’ houses.
“We have to be very careful to identify on time and intervene on time,” she said. “Children are the most vulnerable in conflict situations.”
