A photograph shows Tetiana’s dark, slightly wavy hair neatly secured with a hairpin. She wears a dress with a collar and earrings, her gaze directed into the distance. Back then, Tetiana was just a young girl – now she is a mother and grandmother. Together with daughter Olena and granddaughter Nadiya, Tetiana is looking through family albums. Her own photographs are all monochrome, while Olena’s are mostly in colour and Nadiya’s albums are stored on her mobile phone. "I remember myself at fifteen and I want to say that being a teenager is amazing in any era," says Olena. "The living conditions and ways of exploring the world change, but the feelings remain the same – exciting and warm."“Life was wonderful”To prove her point, Olena finds a picture of herself – a smiling teenage girl wearing a bright dress. She jokes that fashion moves in cycles and that her daughter Nadiya can now confidently wear this "vintage clothing”. Nadiya asks her grandmother what she used to wear as a teenager."I had one dress that my mother sewed for me,” recalls Tetiana. “I accidentally tore it and hid it at the bottom of the chest where we kept clothes, so my mother wouldn’t see. I often wore my older sisters' clothes.”However, despite the hardships, Tetiana has many happy memories of her youth. "Life was wonderful,” she says. “In spring, the water would rise all the way to our house, and my friends and I would sail on the river in a small boat. We reached Duby, a grove with huge trees, and picked snowdrops there. I used to catch fish with a basket, standing barefoot in the water until my feet cracked from the cold." Her daughter Olena also spent a lot of time outdoors with friends as a teenager."Life at fifteen was wonderful – carefree, eventful, and bright," she says. "We had household duties, as the farm was big. We often took on small jobs, like helping to dry grain, to earn some extra money. Then we studied and rushed out to meet our friends – that was the best part."Olena loved singing and regularly went carolling with friends."Nowadays, children communicate via phone, but our communication was live and very active," she says. Her childhood coincided with the Chornobyl disaster and the air in the local Polissia region was heavily polluted. Olena went to health camps with her classmates, and her mother also took her to stay with an aunt who lived in the Mykolaiv region."I travelled a lot across Ukraine in my childhood,” Olena recalls. “My parents gave us that opportunity.”“My parents wanted me to get an education”After leaving school, Tetiana had plans to work on a farm, milking cows. She also considered travelling to another region for seasonal work and even packed a suitcase."My mother came back from the field and saw the suitcase,” says Tetiana. “She burst into tears, and I realised I had made a mistake. My parents wanted me to get an education and I am very grateful to them for that now.”  In turn, she did everything possible to provide her own children with an education."At fifteen, I dreamed of becoming an accountant,” says Olena. “My friend’s mother worked as an accountant in the village council – her desk was covered with papers and an abacus, and I loved watching her work. I managed to obtain an accounting qualification, although my first education was in a technical field.”She hopes that Nadiya will also find her calling in life."The biggest challenge for my generation at fifteen was choosing a dress for the disco. We lived under a peaceful sky, but our children have to endure air raid alerts and the anxiety of war." Despite these challenges, Nadiya is forging her own path."The teenagers of my granddaughter’s generation are very open to the world, they travel a lot, they are communicative, brave and knowledgeable," says Tetiana. "They are completely different from how we were at fifteen, and these changes are for the better."   “We all dream of peace”Nadiya’s generation is growing up in an environment dominated by the internet, which projects images of perfect women living in an ideal world. "In my opinion, the biggest challenge for girls is to meet all the standards – to be perfectly intelligent and perfectly beautiful at the same time," says Nadiya. "I think these are stereotypes that prevent most women from accepting themselves as they are. They start changing themselves not to match their own vision of who they want to be, but to fit the expectations of others." She says beauty stereotypes are often reinforced by social media, with overly perfect images, effects and editing. "I used to strive to fit these unrealistic standards too,” she says. “I tried to straighten my curly hair, braid it in a way that hid my curls, but over time I realised that I should just be myself – my curls are my unique feature." For teenage girls, peer support and family understanding are essential."My mother and grandmother have been my two biggest pillars of support since childhood,” says Nadiya. “They have always set a wonderful example of the kind of person I should be.”  Nadiya aspires to learn many languages, including English, Korean and French. She is passionate about photography and has been singing in a folk ensemble for many years."After finishing school, I plan to enrol in university, work in an international humanitarian organization and help people see the world as a better place. I want to create more opportunities for women so they can fulfill themselves in the fields they love.”Her mother is determined to help her along the way."I truly want my daughter to live under a peaceful sky, to be happy and to find her passion – something that will inspire her and guide her through life," says Olena. "And we will be there for her." "Now, we all dream of peace and for the world around us to become a better place,” adds Nadiya. “I want everyone to realize that they are important to the world and can make a significant contribution to its development.”  Adolescence is a critical time for growth and development, yet for many teenagers in Ukraine, this period is marked by uncertainty and hardship. One in three teenagers reports feeling so sad or hopeless that they stop engaging in their usual activities. The lack of social connection exacerbates these challenges, as many schools near frontline areas remain closed, and frequent air raid alarms force students to spend hours underground.The impact of war on education has been profound. Thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed, and many students struggle to keep up due to displacement, unsafe learning environments, limited access to technology, and the psychological toll of war. Education is more than just acquiring knowledge, it is key to building resilience, critical skills, and hope for the future. UNICEF is working to ensure every child can continue learning by repairing and improving school shelters, providing essential learning materials, training teachers to address learning gaps, offering catch-up classes, and strengthening both in-person and online education. Because every child has a right to learn, grow, and build a brighter future.  , filtered_html

On the morning of 23 January, 65-year-old Artem was already awake when a deafening explosion shattered the silence in his Kramatorsk neighbourhood in the Donetsk Region. The blast tore through his home, leaving him injured and his house in ruins. "I live alone, with no one to help me."Despite his wounds, Artem could not afford to wait. He began repairing his house, little by little, piecing together what he could. When a humanitarian team from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Angels of Salvation arrived with construction materials, he felt a moment of relief."With the materials, I will try to fix at least a small part of the house, so I have a place to stay this winter," he said.  For thousands of people living near the front line, daily shelling is now an inescapable reality. With homes reduced to rubble and energy infrastructure under constant attack, civilians face Ukraine’s brutal winter with few resources.As Ukraine enters the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, an estimated 36 per cent of the population will require humanitarian assistance in 2025. Hostilities rage daily along a 2,000-km front line, putting civilians in constant danger.There has not been a single day without shelling or fighting in the past three years. Hostilities escalated sharply last year; the front line expanded by 15 per cent, particularly in the Kharkiv Region, while violence intensified in the Donetsk and Sumy Regions, triggering even greater humanitarian needs. When fleeing is the only option"I didn’t want to leave until the very end. A community stands as long as someone lives in it but falls apart when its residents leave. But then my house was destroyed," says Nataliia, 67, showing pictures of the ruins of her home in Rubizhne, Luhansk Region. "A community stands as long as someone lives in it but falls apart when its residents leave."Like millions of other Ukrainians over the last three years, Nataliia had no choice but to uproot her life and begin again. She now lives in a collective shelter in Odesa, with support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF).The war’s escalation in February 2022 triggered Europe’s largest displacement crisis since the Second World War. As of January 2025, 3.7 million people remain internally displaced in Ukraine, while 6.9 million have sought refuge abroad, unable to return to lives and livelihoods that no longer exist.Constant attacks on front-line communities force civilians to evacuate from the only homes they’ve ever known, often leaving everything behind.The war's toll on health careThe war is placing an immense strain on Ukraine’s health-care system, vastly increasing the need for trauma care and mental health practitioners.Since February 2022, the World Health Organization has recorded more than 2,200 attacks on health-care facilities, which constantly threaten the lives of doctors, patients and healthcare workers.During his visit to Ukraine in January, the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Tom Fletcher, said: “It is sobering to walk through a completely bombed-out medical clinic in Zaporizhzhia, knowing that 11 people – including four medical staff – lost their lives there just weeks ago.” Yuliia – a pharmacist with the NGO Vashe Misto – supports vulnerable people at a medication distribution point in Odesa. She and her family were displaced from Kherson amid intense fighting."Due to the war, many people – including older people, families with young children and people with disabilities – have lost their livelihoods,” she explained. “Every day they face a difficult choice: whether to buy food, medicine or pay for utilities." Children bear the brunt of air strikes and displacement“All I could think about while fleeing my hometown was the safety of my children,” said Anastasiia, a mother of three who escaped amid intense fighting in the eastern Donetsk Region. “It was very hard for them to lose their home, school and friends. Their education was interrupted while we searched for a new place to live.”UNICEF reports that an average of 16 children are killed or injured every week in Ukraine. More than 3,600 schools and universities have been damaged, and 600,000 children are still forced to learn remotely because their classrooms are either in ruins or too dangerous to reach. Anastasiia and her family eventually found a vacant home in a village. But, with limited resources, they rely on humanitarian aid to get by.She explained: “Now that we have firewood to heat our home through the winter, we can focus on education and rebuilding our lives.” Aid workers help families like Anastasiia’s across Ukraine, ensuring children receive protection and support. The world must not look away from Ukraine“In 2022, my friend Zhenya Sanin evacuated hundreds of local residents who were under attack in Kharkiv,” said Yevhen Koliada, Head of the local NGO Relief Coordination Centre. “A year later, he was killed while delivering aid to front-line communities.” Zhenya’s name is now engraved on the memorial at the Alley of Volunteers in Kharkiv. More names are added regularly, Yevhen says. “These were heroes who sacrificed everything – even their lives – to save their neighbours.”Over the past three years, at least 25 aid workers have been killed in Ukraine, with 86 others injured. Drones, missiles and glide bombs ramp up the risk for civilians and those trying to serve them. But despite the danger, humanitarians continue to deliver.Last year, national NGOs, local volunteers, international organizations and UN agencies provided life-saving aid to more than 8 million people affected by the war, prioritizing people in front-line areas. Nearly 50 inter-agency humanitarian convoys navigated dangerous routes to deliver 580 tons of essential supplies – food, water, medicine and winter provisions – to communities struggling to survive.Every day, 600 organizations – most of them Ukrainian NGOs – demonstrate the resilience and strength of local communities. Their leadership in crisis response is a testament to the power of solidarity and determination, proving that even in the darkest times, help can reach people who need it most.This year, humanitarian organizations will work to reach 6 million of the most vulnerable people, providing food, healthcare, shelter, cash assistance, education, protection and other life-saving aid. The focus will remain on people facing extreme need in front-line areas and other high-risk regions.  At the launch of the 2025 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, ERC Fletcher said: “As humanitarians, we are committed to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ultimately, we must redouble efforts to bring this war to an end so that the Ukrainian people can build their future with security, justice and opportunity.” "As humanitarians, we are committed to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes."Tom Fletcher, UN Humanitarian Chief, filtered_html

Throughout these years, Ukrainians, with the support of partners, continue to develop, support each other, and adapt to new conditions.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, together with partners, supports the country's development and resilience by helping communities, businesses, and state institutions overcome the challenges of war and build the future. After the full-scale invasion in 2022, the organization's activities significantly expanded.UNDP provides comprehensive support to Ukraine, including helping to respond to emergencies and supporting long-term development initiatives. Key areas include: strengthening democratic governance and social cohesion, supporting inclusive economic development, mine action, debris removal, transition to green energy, infrastructure restoration, strengthening the rule of law and access to justice, and climate change resilience.The stories in this photo project tell of resilience, mutual assistance, development, and the innovative spirit of people who are helping to rebuild their country.Fulfilling a dream and finding a new purpose Ivan Batrak spent his entire life in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, where he worked as a coal miner. In 2023, he suffered a severe spinal injury due to a rocket attack. This brought Ivan to the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre in Lviv.“I spent several months in the hospital,” he recalls. “During a therapeutic walk around the city, when I was first taken outside, I said I needed to go to a barbershop to tidy myself up because I had gotten a bit scruffy.”The barber who cut his hair was forming a group for training. It seemed like fate: Batrak had dreamed of becoming a barber back in Pokrovsk, but never had the time to learn a new trade. After completing the training, he now works in a barbershop that serves those undergoing rehabilitation at UNBROKEN. The centre’s barbershop setup and training programme were made possible with the assistance of UNDP and financial support from the governments of Germany and the Republic of Korea. They helped renovate a space of over 30 square metres, and provided professional equipment, barber’s chairs for training, and supplies. For many of his clients, a haircut is like a breath of fresh air (just as it once was for Batrak himself). Thanks to the support of the rehabilitation centre and the employment opportunity, Batrak is confident he can overcome his challenges. “It's important to provide jobs for people who have been injured and need to adapt to a new life,” says Batrak.“Because this is about socialization and communication. Instead of lying at home, I get up, get ready, and go somewhere I can be useful.”War can't stop Olympic dreams All educational institutions take pride in their graduates, but for the Mykolaiv Professional College of Physical Culture, it is a particular joy to count the number of their students that have competed in the Olympic Games: Over 30 athletes who have represented Ukraine in international competitions (such as multiple medalist Olha Kharlan) studied at the college in Mykolaiv.The college continued to operate even after the beginning of the full-scale invasion. However, missile strikes then caused damage to both its dormitory and academic building.“After the first hit to the dormitory roof, everything was badly damaged here,” says Petrukhina.  “We tidied up the academic building a bit, covering the windows with plywood. But then there was a second strike on the building next to the academic building. And again, the blast wave damaged our building.” Petrukhina has dedicated over 20 years to helping nurture generations of outstanding Ukrainian athletes. The college offers students and pupils a choice of 18 sports, and currently, there are 235 children studying here, of whom 140 reside in Mykolaiv and study in the academic building. The continued operation of the college has been made possible through the support of the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, which helped restore the damaged building. Repairs to the dormitory are ongoing, so students from other cities continue their studies online. However, Petrukhina believes that all students will soon return to the college's premises.“Our kids are continuing to learn and develop,” she says. “Sport is life. When you look at the children who are training, striving to achieve their goals, you yourself become inspired. You see the results of all the efforts made. We teach them, and they teach us.”A New Calling: Freeing the land from mines After being wounded, Oleksandr Tarasovsky completed a course in mine action and is now preparing to clear Ukrainian lands of mines.Before the war, he switched between professions: he was an actor, a bartender, and worked in an auto repair shop. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he volunteered for the front, where he suffered a mine-explosive injury to his arm. After leaving the military, he searched for his place in civilian life: practicing jiu-jitsu at a veterans' club and trying to return to his former work.“I tried working as a bartender again, but I didn't feel like I belonged,” Tarasovsky explains. “I wanted to be useful to the country.”In December 2023, he learned about a humanitarian demining course for veterans with disabilities organized by the Ministry of Economy and UNDP with support from the Netherlands and Sweden. He also completed courses in tactical medicine and is now preparing to work for the international company Global Clearance Solutions Ukraine.“Land is perhaps the greatest resource that can be utilized for the country's future, but now it's full of mines,” Tarasovsky says. “What could be more important than freeing the land of mines?”From math teacher to solar pioneer In war-torn Ukraine, 36-year-old Maria Burenina is working for a sustainable future in Chernihiv region. Together with her husband Oleh, Burenina has transformed their family business from installing heating systems to mounting solar power stations, addressing the critical need for electricity in an area severely affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion.“The most rewarding moment is when you press the button, and everything works – the client's satisfaction is priceless,” Burenina smiles, describing the rewards of her work process, which involves extensive calculations, equipment installation, and system integration.Initially handling office tasks in their joint venture, Burenina’s background as a mathematics and computer science teacher has proved invaluable in her latest career. Her growing passion for the technical aspects of their work led her to a unique opportunity: a training programme for women in solar power station installation, organized by GEF, the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, and Atmosfera, a major solar equipment importer. The intensive course covered both theory and practice. Ten women, including Burenina, learned how to perform calculations and understand the specifics of operating the equipment before traveling to Kyiv for hands-on training. They practiced on roof mock-ups, mastering field work and high-altitude installation techniques.“I loved every minute of the training,” Burenina enthuses. “Now, we have ambitions to do more. People aren’t even asking about the payback period anymore. They say, ‘I’m buying comfort. I don't want to suffer from non-functioning appliances and heating.’ Our work will always be needed.”Young leaders transform OdesaBrought together by the VidNOVA:UA national programme, which engages young people in rebuilding Ukraine with support from the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine and with funding from Denmark and Japan – Mariia Chilei and Yevhen Popiesko worked on rebuilding spaces to become youth centres. They drew inspiration from dynamic cities, vibrant people, and enriching activities they experienced while taking part in VidNOVA:UA themselves. Before joining the programme, Chilei was aware there were training sessions and projects, but she only found out about VidNOVA:UA through and advertisement on Facebook. She applied, and eventually, both she and Popiesko were selected: Chilei went to Mukachevo, and Popiesko to Rokytne and Manevychi. “The experience we gained is irreplaceable,” Chilei says. “Afterward, it feels like you can achieve anything.”Returning home inspired, in August 2024 they organized a VidNOVA:UA project in their native Odesa, inviting participants from 11 regions of Ukraine to renovate the city's municipal youth centre. Together, they revitalized the neglected semi-basement rooms by stripping them down, plastering, and painting them.But that was not all: Chilei, who was also the founder of the Ukrainian National Space NGO, and Yevhen, a project manager and trainer, also aimed to show off a different, authentic side of Odesa to the VidNOVA:UA participants. “It wasn't just about restoring spaces, but about restoring people,” Chilei adds. “In this tense time, they come to a place where they can reset and feel revived through volunteering, community, cultural programmes, and contributing to the country's development and future transformation. This is because each space is an investment in the future, encouraging them to return home, eager to do more.”The space the visitors to Odesa helped revive is now comfortable and accessible. Today, it hosts clubs and gatherings for young people, and its once unopenable windows and peeling walls are now a thing of the past.Taking Ukrainian business to a global level In 2017, Serhiy Shtefan was creating furniture when entrepreneur friends proposed jointly founding a furniture factory – they saw there was a gap in the market for businesses handling complex furniture projects.Initially, Bassa factory had four employees — Shtefan, his partner, and two installers. Today, seven-and-a-half years later, the company has five co-founders and over a hundred employees. Bassa specializes in manufacturing custom-made premium office furniture, primarily collaborating with design studios.“For the first three years, we worked non-stop,” Shtefan says. “Now we have a large design department that allows us to provide a full range of services. To make it comfortable and interesting for the customer to work with one company, we cover almost all their needs. This way, our dependence on contractors is minimal.”Over the past six years, Bassa hasn’t missed a single order deadline, which is rather an exception in the furniture industry. The factory implements projects of various scales: from furniture for a 40 square metres wheeled house to complex solutions for 700 square metres premises.This is how the Ukrainian entrepreneurs realized they were ready to work for export. Bassa has already completed projects for two apartments in Dubai and collaborated with customers in the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Georgia, and the Netherlands. To develop alongside the industry and share gained experience, Bassa has been cooperating with the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Makers for five years, supported by UNDP and Switzerland.“This is a great opportunity to exchange experiences with our colleagues,” Shtefan says. “The events where we meet and communicate allow us to reboot our minds, hear colleagues' experiences, and from this – draw conclusions and improve.”Bassa is also a partner of the association in the Furniture Maker School project, aimed at solving the industry's main problem – a lack of qualified personnel. The programme allows the factory and colleagues to train and attract new staff.“Our main asset is a strong team, without which nothing would have been possible,” Shtefan explains. “I believe in our cause and hope that soon the war will end, and we'll be able to fly abroad almost weekly, open showrooms in Dubai and Europe, and maybe even open another furniture factory outside Ukraine.”, filtered_html

Their stories bear testament to the persisting need of assistance in a struggling media landscape.Svitlana Karpenko, Director and editor-in-chief of Trudova Slava, a newspaper from Orikhiv, Zaporizhia region"As we work under constant war-related challenges the main goal was to secure our ability to cover important local and regional events, inform our readers, and maintain community ties during this difficult time.We used the received funds for technical upgrades, which allowed us to improve the quality of our materials and the efficiency of our work. In particular, we bought a smartphone to make videos. For a couple of months our journalists have mastered the techniques of mobile journalism. So, a new smartphone has already become a key tool to create multimedia content, including reports and video stories about the lives of people in front-line areas." Nataliia Kalinichenko, Editor-in-chief of Bilopilshchyna, a newspaper from Bilopillia, Sumy region "Since the spring of 2024, our community, which is located 7 kilometers from the border, has been constantly suffering from shelling and bombing. The center of Bilopillia, its private homes, state institutions, and enterprises suffered especially badly. In May, an evacuation from the city and the five-kilometer zone around it was declared. Two-thirds of the residents left. Despite this, our media continues to work in such conditions.We used the received funds to continue printing the newspaper in November and December 2024, and to deliver it to readers and subscribers, to travel to the places of shelling and make interviews with the victims, to constantly meet and work with foreign colleagues, provide them with information, and accompany them during their work in the community.In addition, we organized the evacuation of the editorial archive that contains newspapers from 1947".Andrii Andriev*, freelance cameraman"The financial assistance enabled me to acquire some essential equipment for professional photography, provide logistical support for my work as a photographer, and process and prepare materials. Thanks to this, we were able to create an archive that will, in the future, become a foundation for journalistic investigations, exhibitions, and printed publications.We also directed your support toward making materials for local and international events dedicated to raising awareness about the situation in our country. This helps draw the attention of the global community, which is critically important for sustaining support for our country in its fight for freedom and independence."*Name has been changed for safety reasons Iryna Martynova, Anti-Crisis Media Center, Druzhkivka, Donetsk region "Before I saw the announcement of the emergency grant program, I already had the idea of creating a podcast. However, it was difficult to do without financial support, because the podcast required additional costs, in particular, sound design, which I cannot do myself. I wanted to dedicate my podcast to those who remain or return to the Donetsk region and support the local population there, as well as displaced people. So, when I saw the opportunity to receive an emergency grant, I decided to try and was very happy when I received a positive result. Thanks to the support, the podcast “Essays about Donetsk Region” appeared, which I continue to work on now." Pavlo Solodovnyk, journalist and editor of CheLine, Chernihiv"This assistance was incredibly significant and timely for our editorial team. Our office was destroyed by a missile strike in 2023, along with almost all the equipment and furniture. Currently, we are renting a new space and covering the rent and utility bills on our own, while also gradually addressing critical gaps caused by the lack of equipment.Thanks to the grant, we purchased specialized microphones, a studio recording microphone, and power banks.We are truly thankful for this support. Together, we will persevere!"About the projectThis assistance was made possible thanks to the generous support from Japan. UNESCO is committed to continuing to support the safety of Ukrainian and international journalists and media workers inside Ukraine so that they can provide factual, conflict-sensitive, and verified information of public interest to the population, with editorial independence.Thanks to a cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), a first round of 160 grants was coordinated with the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) in 2022 and was followed by a second round of 200 grants in 2023, coordinated with Lviv Media Forum.At the end of 2024, an additional 200 journalists have received UNESCO grants to continue working despite challenging conditions and a lack of resources.  The process was conducted in partnership with the Regional Press Development Institute (RPDI).The selection criteria ensured gender balance and territorial representation while giving priority to journalists – and especially local media and freelancers - that continue to work in front-line regions or were forced to relocate, and those that have not previously received grants under the initiative.Among the 200 selected applicants, 66 were men and 134 were women. These journalists work in all regions of Ukraine, with the highest numbers coming from Kyiv region, followed by Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. The majority work primarily for online media, while 15% work for print media, 14% for television, and 14% for other types of media., filtered_html