SUNFLOWER SCOTLAND – UKRAINE CHARITY
Helping Down syndrome children and orphans
War hurts all kids. But vulnerable children suffer more than others. Support Ukraine’s orphans and children with Downs syndrome in frontline areas
Because of the war, kids are psychologically traumatised. Ukrainian carers do a very important job: they provide parental care, love and family environment to orphans and kids with mental disabilities. We cannot support 246 children on our own, and we need your help.
Help us support 47 children with Downs syndrome in Kryvyi Rih (south Ukraine) and 199 orphans in the Kharkiv region.
Contents
Sunflower’s programme for vulnerable children
Sunflower Scotland has been helping vulnerable children since mid-2023. In east Ukraine, we support 199 orphans in foster care. In south Ukraine (Kryvyi Rih), we support 47 children with Down syndrome.
We provide:
1) Child-friendly hygiene and cleaning supplies
With children, washing and cleaning never stops. It is by far the biggest cost for carers. We regularly provide: Hypoallergenic shampoo, toothpaste, washing powder, nappies for toddlers, big-size nappies for older kids with mental disabilities, period products for teenage girls.
2) Clothes and footwear
We source high-quality, Ukraine-made clothes and footwear in Kharkiv, and provide them to children.
3) Chocolate gifts for Christmas
To give children a feeling of happiness for Christmas we gift them large 800g boxes of Ukrainian chocolate. Because of the war, people struggle to get food. Without our help some orphans would not get any sweets for Christmas
Our reports
- Aid for Down Syndrome Kids in Kryvyi Rih
- Kharkiv businesswoman donates clothes and footwear to orphans
- Cleaning supplies to help to orphans and foster families in Ukraine
- Gifts to 186 orphans to help with distance learning
- Christmas performance for 150 kids with disabilities and from deprived families
- Hygiene products and nappies for orphans with special needs
- Aid to deprived families in Kryvyi Rih
- September 2023: help to orphans and fostering families
Children with Downs syndrome
During the war, Kryvyi Rih has become a hub for 200,000 refugees from Zaporizhzhia (east) and Kherson (south). The city’s social problems worsened: poverty, no paid work, overcrowded hospitals, crumbling social care.
We support a local organisation Sunflower Kids in Kryvyi Rih. It was set up by parents of children with Downs syndrome. It unites other families with similar disabilities. Their motto is “we can” – they don’t give up, despite all hardships. We have found them, and we have stretched a helping hand from Scotland.
Please see photo reports of our work.
Orphans
When Russia started the murderous war in Ukraine, Kharkiv moved many orphans to foster families to the west. Foster parents who looked after 3-4 orphan kids before the war, took many more kids. Now, some foster families care for 5-7 children, and some even 10 or 11 orphans.
Caring for so many children is extremely hard. Ukrainian families do not have big houses. Orphans come from different backgrounds: some were taken from rough parents who lost parenting rights due to alcohol and drug abuse or home violence.
Important role
But despite all that, foster families play an extremely important role in Ukraine. During the war, when all kids are traumatised, they provide safety, kindness and love.
Our work
We support a cluster of foster families in west Kharkiv region. Please see photo reports of our work.
How you can help
We cannot help them without you. Please donate to support our work.