Conflicts & War

Almost 100,000 children from orphanages evacuated amid war in Ukraine

Rome, Mar 6 (EFE).- Around 100,000 children have been evacuated from Ukrainian orphanages as Russia continued its full-scale invasion of Ukraine for the 11th day on Sunday.

Marco Griffini, the chief of an Italian organization authorized to carry out international adoptions, told the Vatican Radio on Sunday that these centers have become a potential target for Russian attacks, adding that Italy was preparing to welcome the biggest possible number of children.

“Those who have families have joined them and many others have fled with their mothers, while the men stayed in Ukraine; the rest have moved because the orphanages are no longer safe places,” Griffini said.

Many of the 98,000 minors across the 633 Ukrainian institutions are not orphans, but their families lack the necessary resources to raise them, according to Griffini.

The Italian Ai Bi organization has already transferred 16 orphans to Poland, who used to be housed in an orphanage near Kyiv. “This is happening in other places. Real corridors have been created together with the Red Cross to protect these children.”

Ai Bi also works in refugee camps in Moldova, where 15 families with children traumatized by the war have been accommodated.

“Where there are municipalities available, we manage to activate the reception of unaccompanied minors”, said Griffini, who is working with Italian families to organize a way to adopt children who are either alone or with relatives.

“We invite everyone to provide houses and accommodation to mothers with children,” Griffini urged.

So far, Ai Bi has received more than 700 applications from families who want to offer foster care.

“All associations are experiencing this same response. The head of the Civil Protection, Fabrizio Curcio, told me that his switchboard is flooded with thousands and thousands of phone calls from families who say they are willing to host refugees,” he added. EFE

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