Number of children in need of humanitarian aid doubled in Ukraine over last year – UNICEF

In Ukraine, one million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, which is almost twice as many as last year.

Ukrinform learned from the press service of the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday, February 17.

"While the conflict continues with varying intensity in eastern Ukraine, a million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance - which is almost twice more than last year," reads a statement.

This increase happens due to the ongoing fighting and the constant deterioration of the living conditions in the east of Ukraine, where about 1.7 million people were forced to move to other regions of the country, UNICEF explained.

"The shelling of schools, the one place where children find safety and normalcy during conflict, is unacceptable and has to stop. Children in eastern Ukraine have suffered enough and we must ensure that they have safe spaces to seek solace and support," Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF’s Representative in Ukraine, said.

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