We Are Family Edition

The mission of “We Are Family” edition in partnership with “CAN I GO HOME NOW?” edition is to provide financial support, emotional care and a sense of belonging to children who have been left homeless and familyless during the Ukraine war. Our goal is to create a global community of caring individuals who become “family” to these children, providing them with the financial, emotional, and practical support they need to thrive. We believe that every child deserves to have a stable and loving family, and we are committed to filling this gap for those who have been impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. Our organization will work tirelessly to ensure that these children are not alone and have access to the resources and opportunities they need to grow and succeed. Through our work, we hope to inspire individuals around the world to come together and support the most vulnerable members of our global community. Together, we can create a world where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances.

The urgent and terrifying situation of the Children in Ukraine is utterly heartbreaking. Another word to describe it would be horrific. The world has forgotten about Ukraine as the news media has moved onto more fresh/new/trending news. A year later in March 2023, Ukraine continues to be an active war zone. The Children in Ukraine live everyday with russian rockets flying overhead, not knowing which of those aerial explosive weapons will reach the ground and whose house they will strike. 7.8 million Children have been brutalized due to missing childhoods, missing homes and missing families. 7.8 million Children. Yes, you read that number right. One year later, Russia continues to increase the intensity of its terrorist attacks on Ukraine. Time is running out. These Children need help now.  The humans of our world need to know and act now – if there are humans with humanity left. Just a few minutes of Google search will show you the horrors that Children are living with in Ukraine. And here is a quick summary that Humans of Our World team members have witnessed first-hand during their rescue trips in Ukraine – the 12 points below are just a summary:

1. Children whose homes have been bombed and destroyed. And are now homeless.
2. 12 year old ballerina with a leg missing due to a missile strike
3. A family of 10, living in a one bedroom apartment as refugess as 80% of their city Mariupol has been destroyed
4. A teenager who got shot by Russians2 as she rescued an adult after he was wounded. Where is this hero now? Homeless
5. Children with burns all over their bodies as their houses caught on fire due to shelling
6. 5 year old girls refusing to leave Ukraine and risking their life every day as they would rather be with their daddy (as men can’t leave Ukraine)
7. Children who have immense PTSD after living inside bunkers for weeks
8. Little girls, teenagers and women who were taken by russian soldiers for their pleasure – who have now lived to tell the tale and mental scars that will haunt them forever
9. Children who had to be sent out of Ukraine alone without their families and are now living with host families all over the world
10. Thousands of missing Children and no answers
11. Children that are homeless….. And worse – familyless.
12. Children who now go to school, but instead of learning about Geography-Biology-Mathematics, are now being taught to identify bombs, land mines and what to do in the case of attacks by Russians.

Yes you read that right. Homeless Children is painful enough. Now add to that Children without families.

And that is where our campaign “CAN I GO HOME NOW?” comes in. The “Can I Go Home Now?” Campaign is a call to action, a powerful rallying cry, as tragedy unfolds and wreaks havoc due to an ongoing catastrophe in Ukraine caused by cruel russian terrorism. ‘Can I Go Home Now?’ is the name of the campaign as all parents know that all-too-familiar question that Children ask and the answer is usually a definite one – ‘Yes’.

The tragedy of our campaign’s title is that for the Ukrainian Children, there is no answer…..yet. 

“WE ARE FAMILY” is an addition to that campaign for the Children without families and/or parents. We want the Children to know that they are not alone. We want the Children to know that around the world, there are many humans who have become their family. And that we will be checking up on them, we will be waiting for them, we will be making sure that they are cared for.

Together, the joint power of CAN I GOME NOW? + WE ARE FAMILY campaign is a revolution, it is a testament to the power of the world uniting together in support of the Ukrainian Children, and a proof of the strength of the human spirit, and to the love that can bind us together even in the darkest of times. The Humans of Our World Foundation’s founder Pritan Ambroase recently went to Ukraine himself, travelling by train and cars for over 25 hours to reach the capital city. Ambroase lived in the active war zone of Ukraine for 8 days and travelled all over the country to spend time with Children and families that are suffering tremendously due to the man-made terrorist attacks. Ambroase tearfully states, “As I type this statement in my hotel room in Kyiv, I am exhausted, heartbroken, and shaken. My heart has been shattered into a thousand pieces seeing and hearing these Children’s stories, but it is a small price to pay for the chance to bring these Children’s stories to the world. Yesterday, I watched in horror as 15 missiles flew overhead and saw the Children’s reactions. I am saddened, but not afraid. I am empowered as that showed me the urgency of this Can I Go Home Now? Campaign. Definitely, the most heart wrenching and all-consuming humanitarian campaign I have ever worked on. I thought I knew cruelty, I did not. My time in Ukraine has shown to me the darkest cruelty humans are capable of. Cars that say “Only Children” with hundreds of bullets in them. I have been reduced to tears, for the weight of the suffering I have seen is more than any one person should have to bear. I am desperate to tell these Children, ‘Yes, you can go home now’, and I will not rest until I have done everything in my power to make that happen. Until they get to go home safely, this campaign will be taking care of these Children. These Children now call me “Dyadya Pritan” which is Uncle Pritan in Ukrainian. These Children do not need our tears. They need our strength, our voices and our support.  My heart breaks for these innocent lives caught in the crossfire of a war not of their making. This world simply cannot bear another innocent child’s death and/or despair. And I have promised all these Children, simply, “I will not let the world forget about you. You are not alone. We are family, the humans our world, we will make sure that the answer is YES to your question CAN I GO HOME NOW?”

The Children in Ukraine living in an active war zone where russian missiles and rockets fly overhead every day are currently highly vulnerable. Many without homes, living as refugees inside Ukraine and outside Ukraine. Lack of funds for food, rent and daily expenses. Many Children without parents and/or families. Lack of therapy. Lack of schooling. Lack of funds to escape Ukraine. And the list goes on.

The only solution is that we, the humans of our world, now utilize our voices, power and funds to support the Children of Ukraine. So that “mankind” can remember that it is manKIND and not manCRUEL. The Children inside Ukraine need our support. The Children inside Ukraine who need to leave urgently need our support. The Children of Ukraine who have escaped to other countries and have not returned home yet, need our support. We advocate for the importance of protecting Children in times of war, and hope that it will encourage humans of our world to advocate for their rights and well-being.

Glory to the Children. Glory to Humanity. Make humanity viral.