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support for orphanages
Ukraine's winter aid network: 400+ organisation representatives. How to help children's facilities
Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity is preparing for the winter of 2026–2027 together with volunteers: more than 400 representatives of humanitarian and volunteer organisations have already joined a shared coordination network. The ministry reported this on 7 November 2026 after the Social Change Leaders Forum 2.0 in Lviv. The network is meant to identify regional needs quickly and organise help for people during long power outages. For anyone supporting children's facilities in Ukraine, this sets the priority: in winter the most valuable help is targeted, agreed with the facility and keeps it running on its own.
Want to help a children's facility in Ukraine this winter?
Supporting children's facilities is one of the core areas of the NGO Vary Future (Change the Future). Tell us in the form how you can help and we will get in touch.
Offer help How we support orphanagesWhat was agreed at the Social Change Leaders Forum 2.0
The panel "Shared responsibility: how to unite the state, volunteers and society before the challenges of winter" was moderated by Deputy Minister Tetiana Kiriienko. According to the ministry:
- Coordination Council. On the ministry's initiative, a Coordination Council on humanitarian response, volunteer activity, social support for internally displaced persons, ties with Ukrainian citizens abroad and their voluntary return has been set up.
- Coordination network. More than 400 representatives of organisations have already joined it. Its job is to identify regional needs quickly and arrange hot meals and support for people with limited mobility during long power cuts.
- Verification of humanitarian organisations. The mechanism allows deferment of staff from mobilisation, staff travel abroad to transport humanitarian cargo and registration of vehicles.
- People with limited mobility. Tetiana Kiriienko described changes that provide for people with limited mobility to stay temporarily in healthcare facilities with nursing care if they cannot safely stay at home without electricity.
- Social facilitators. A UNHCR representative described how about 400 social facilitators are adapting their work to winter needs.
Partners added their own solutions: the president of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society stressed the need for a volunteer reserve with rotation during long emergencies, and the charity Iskra Dobra shared its experience with mobile and hub kitchens.
What this means for children's facilities and their supporters
On 28 October the ministry and the International Committee of the Red Cross discussed support for social institutions in winter. Hub schools are being prepared to work as heating points with hot meals when needed, a network of mobile kitchens is being formed, and the autonomy of social protection facilities during the autumn and winter was a separate topic.
At the same forum, panellists discussed support for families with children (ministry release of 5 November). Together with the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Childcare Development, the ministry is working in a group under the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy on a draft law to strengthen children's services: staff, powers and resources to identify children who need protection in time.
For donors and volunteers the conclusion is simple: in winter, help works best when it is agreed with the facility and the local children's service, and when it goes through organisations you can verify.
How to help a children's facility in winter: 5 steps
- Start with the facility's request. Ask the administration what is missing right now: power, heat, water, warm clothes, long-life food.
- Prioritise autonomy. Backup power, a water reserve, heating and communications keep a facility running during outages.
- Check the intermediary. Ask for the organisation's name and EDRPOU code, check them against the Unified State Register data and ask for reports on previous deliveries.
- Agree on handover and reporting. A handover certificate, photos without children's faces, a short report on use.
- Plan for the whole winter. Regular smaller help is often more useful than one large delivery.
| Winter need | What helps | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Power and communications | Power stations, batteries, torches | Capacity, who will maintain them |
| Heat | Blankets, warm clothes, heaters | Clothing sizes, heater types safe for the facility |
| Water and food | Drinking water reserve, long-life food | Storage conditions, food restrictions |
| Learning and leisure | Books, board games, stationery | Children's ages, what the facility already has |
Read how we help Ukrainian orphanages and about our social adaptation program for orphans.
Help where it is needed this winter
Fill in the form on the Donate page: what you can send or how much you want to give. We will reply with bank details and the payment reference. Phone: +38 (067) 999 64 90.
Donate Become a partnerFrequently asked questions
What is the ministry's coordination network with humanitarian organisations?
It is a network that already includes more than 400 representatives of volunteer and humanitarian organisations; it helps identify regional needs and organise help during long power outages.
What does verification give a humanitarian organisation?
According to the ministry, the mechanism allows deferment of staff from mobilisation, staff travel abroad to transport humanitarian cargo and registration of vehicles.
What help does a children's facility need most in winter?
The help the facility itself asks for: most often backup power, heat, a water reserve and long-life food.
Sources: Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, 7 Nov 2026; Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, 5 Nov 2026; Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and ICRC, 28 Oct 2026.
