In March 2022, Ukraine faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis caused by the full-scale invasion. Every day, children living in institutional care facilities near combat zones faced a real threat to their lives. In response, the "Childhood Without War" (Дитинство без війни) programme was created — one of the largest non-governmental evacuations of orphaned children and children deprived of parental care to a safe country.

A year ago, the film "State Children" (Державні діти) by the Slidstvo.Info (Слідство.Інфо) team raised questions about this project. The Foundation thanked the team for this work and acknowledged the importance of drawing attention to the issue of how child evacuation should be organized during a humanitarian crisis.
Since then, the Foundation has updated its child protection policy, its policy on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, and its personal data protection policy. An internal review of the Foundation's experience has been conducted, an independent expert study has been commissioned, and procedures continue to be improved. New projects are being developed through the "Family — From Orphanhood to Family" (Родина – Від сирітства до сім'ї) programme.

The table shows the practical distribution of roles during the implementation of the project — it is not a legal conclusion regarding the parties' liability. Questions of legal responsibility fall within the competence of the relevant state authorities, with whom the Foundation cooperates and to whom it provides all necessary information.

Of all the children evacuated within the "Childhood Without War" project, 100% of those from institutional care facilities have returned to Ukraine. The decision on each child's return was made individually by Ukrainian state authorities, with the participation of the child's legal representative, taking into account the security situation in their region of origin.

The project's experience showed that the main challenge is not the evacuation itself, but the long-term preservation of children's connection to Ukraine, their language, and their identity, and creating the conditions for a safe return. This is especially valuable against the backdrop of the wider situation in the country, where — across various evacuation programmes — some children still remain abroad due to complicated legal procedures in certain countries.

For the Foundation, return is not an endpoint but the beginning of reintegration: restoring family ties, education, and psychological support. That is why the Foundation continues to develop projects for orphaned children after they reach adulthood, as well as support for family-based forms of care.