Four years ago today, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and those in our care are still living the impact of war.
Overnight, millions were forced to flee their homes. Families were separated. Childhoods were interrupted.
For the Tikva community in Odesa, it meant evacuation. Since the beginning of the war, Tikva has evacuated more than 4,760 people to safety, including 1,047 Tikva children, alumni and elderly community members who are in now in Tikva’s care in Romania, over 400 miles from home. Romania became a place of safety, but also of rebuilding.
In Odesa, children in our care have continued their education, often in bomb shelters, in freezing temperatures, under the constant threat of air raid sirens. Elderly members of the community have relied on Tikva for hot meals, care packages and daily support. At the same time, Tikva’s search and rescue work has continued under the most extreme circumstances, helping bring 55 children to safety since the beginning of the war. In Romania, we have worked to create a sense of normal routine for refugees still living in temporary accommodation, providing education, stability and care in the midst of uncertainty.
Over the past four years, Tikva has provided food, education, housing and care to those displaced by the war. What began as an emergency response has become a long-term commitment to dignity, stability and hope.
Today, we also remember those we have lost. Two Tikva alumni, Vitaly Matviets and Anton Beskonechnyi, were killed while defending Ukraine. They were once children in our care. Their loss is deeply felt.
Four years on, the war continues and so does the need.
If you feel able, your support helps ensure that children, families and elderly refugees are not forgotten as this conflict moves out of headlines.
Thank you for standing with the Tikva community, then and now.