Hope and Homes For Children: Sheffield charity boss describes 'fraught' rescue mission for Ukrainian 'orphans'

A Sheffield charity leader says the world must do more to help the 100,000 children in Ukrainian orphanages imperilled by the Russian invasion.
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Mark Waddington, who grew up near Sheffield Botanical Gardens, is the chief executive of Hope and Homes for Children, an international charity working to prevent children being ‘institutionalised’ in orphanages when many have families who could look after them with the right support.

It is desperate to focus the world’s attention on the plight of the 100,000 children in 700 orphanages across Ukraine, which it calls the ‘unseen victims’ of the conflict.

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They were already exposed to the risk of violence, abuse and neglect which the charity says is ‘synonymous’ with such institutions, where in the worst cases children are exploited for sex or trafficked for labour and even for their body parts.

MEDYKA, POLAND - MARCH 20: People, mostly women and children, cross from war-torn Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border crossing on March 20, 2022 in Medyka, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbour. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)MEDYKA, POLAND - MARCH 20: People, mostly women and children, cross from war-torn Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border crossing on March 20, 2022 in Medyka, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbour. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
MEDYKA, POLAND - MARCH 20: People, mostly women and children, cross from war-torn Ukraine into Poland at the Medyka border crossing on March 20, 2022 in Medyka, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbour. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
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But with fighting now raging around them they are even more vulnerable, as the buildings where they live are targeted by missiles, staff are fleeing and many children are being left to face the dangers of war alone – a situation the charity describes as an ‘emergency of epic proportions’.

Mark spoke to The Star about the huge challenge ahead after a successful mission to rescue 65 children from a Ukrainian orphanage to safety in neighbouring Romania, where soldiers had kindly lined the bridge youngsters crossed upon entry with toys to make them feel welcome.

“It was a fraught 50-hour operation to get them out by train and bus on a circuitous route,” he said.

Young refugees have been evacuated from an orphanage in Dnipro, Ukraine, by Hope and Homes for ChildrenYoung refugees have been evacuated from an orphanage in Dnipro, Ukraine, by Hope and Homes for Children
Young refugees have been evacuated from an orphanage in Dnipro, Ukraine, by Hope and Homes for Children
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"Many of the children were exhausted and by the time they reached the border, we had to ask some of the adult refugees fleeing Ukraine to carry seven of the children aged under three across to Romania.”

Mark said there is much more to do, with many orphanages across Ukraine down to a ‘skeleton staff’, dramatically increasing the risk of abuse, and in some cases children and even babies being abandoned and ‘left to their own devices’.

The charity is planning more rescue operations but as large numbers of children are moved out of orphanages to greater safety, he said there were fears children could lose any hope of ever being reunited with their families if vital documents are lost amid the chaos of war.

Staff from Hope and Homes for Children prepare emergency aid packages for families in UkraineStaff from Hope and Homes for Children prepare emergency aid packages for families in Ukraine
Staff from Hope and Homes for Children prepare emergency aid packages for families in Ukraine

“We don’t know where many of these children are going, who’s caring for them and in many cases we don’t know where their personal and medical records are being kept. It’s creatinig a trafficker’s dreamscape, which is a major concern for us,” said Mark.

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Mark told how the charity is working with authorities in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova to ensure the best possible care is provided at this time of upheaval.

Hope and Homes is also working to support those families outside the orphanage system who are being ‘torn apart amid the chaos’ and to prevent a ‘child protection emergency’ across Eastern Europe.

When the dust of war eventually settles, the charity hopes to reduce the number of children in orphanages across Ukraine, trapped in a system which Mark says is a sad legacy of the Communist era, and help them settle with their families.

PREZEMYSL, POLAND - MARCH 23: People, mainly women and children, board a train at Przemysl station as they continue their onward journey from in war-torn Ukraine on March 23, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3.5 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbor. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)PREZEMYSL, POLAND - MARCH 23: People, mainly women and children, board a train at Przemysl station as they continue their onward journey from in war-torn Ukraine on March 23, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3.5 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbor. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
PREZEMYSL, POLAND - MARCH 23: People, mainly women and children, board a train at Przemysl station as they continue their onward journey from in war-torn Ukraine on March 23, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland. Nearly two-thirds of the more than 3.5 million people to have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion last month have come to Poland, which shares a 310-mile border with its eastern neighbor. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

It has already achieved great success in Moldova and Romania, where Mark says there used to be more than 100,000 children in orphanages but there are now just over 4,000.

For more about the charity and how to support its work, visit: www.hopeandhomes.org.

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