This morning the largest drone attack of the war was unleashed on Kyiv. The damage to infrastructure was significant across the city. Power is out in many districts and some buildings are being permanently emptied of residents.

Autumn cold and rain has settled in for a while. Many of the places that rely on the donated food and hygiene supplies will soon be too difficult to access for us to make deliveries. Distribution points for the winter months will need to be closer to main roads.

On 04 November over 50 laser guided bombs were dropped on the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, and in the surrounding villages. The targets were civilian infrastructure, including Community Services, Utilities Services, and Schools.

A record number of attacks were logged last night over a large area of Ukraine.

An important part of our program is nutrition. Providing, and teaching about, healthy foods was incorporated back to early days in Ukraine (2015).

On a recent medical supply run from Kyiv to Kharkiv we were asked by a medical aid NGO to help transport some newly donated portable Engel MT27 Fridge-Freezer units stocked with insulin, azasite/antibiotics, and various vaccines from Kharkiv to Orlivka.

Chernihiv is a city located about two-hours northeast of Kyiv, close to where Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine intersect. It is/was a beautiful city famous for attracting writers that would find their muse in the forested landscapes and architecture.

In April 2022, Petro (Peter) Burban volunteered for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served for a year and a half and returned home to Lviv to his family in August 2023.

The idea of creating small classrooms in the underground Metro (subway) tunnels is catching on in the larger cities that have such public transportation. Care4Ukraine.Org’s “Keep The Kids Learning” program installed many of early examples in 2022.

Robert Rose of RawTravel.tv just made a donation that put Care4Ukraine.Org over the $30,000 mark on GoFundMe. Rob and his viewers have been a significant source of support for our efforts in Ukraine since early 2022.

Getting across the border from Bulgaria into Romania was efficiently handled by customs inspectors. The key was to have the supplies easily accessible to the inspectors. Our Moldovan drivers knew to be patient.

This is just a quick update to introduce a change in our fundraisers name….. “Care4Ukraine.Org: Community and Family Aid Program”. There are no changes in what or where or how we support the IDP’s and at-risk children in Ukraine.

I have often used the term “Gypsy” about myself and friends. American culture has used the term in a romanticized context in literature, music, and film. Gypsy Moth, “Gypsy” by Stevie Nicks, Gypsy Rose Lee the actress.

Equipment and supplies on the way to Eastern Europe. It will take about 3-weeks to arrive in a safe port. From there the cargo will be transported via land into Ukraine. Some supplies will go to Moldova and Romania to help refugees.

This week the update is a video. Most of the content is informational. Thank you for watching and for your donations.

When the war started in 2022 the “keeping the kid’s learning” program jumped in to support, when and where it could, the Internally Displaced People (IDP) – specifically children and young adults.

When we began taking in donations for “Keeping The Kid’s Learning” it really gave us the opportunity to immediately impact the lives of young people displaced by the war.

The next few updates will be about our “Supply Chain”. How we transform your donations into meaningful aid. How are cash donations transformed into the needed supplies, medicines, repair parts,…..?

Over the past few days GoFundMe has “paused” fundraising efforts for all Ukraine related efforts on their site to assure that these efforts meet the guidelines and rules established to protect donors. Our fundraiser was cleared quickly.

Thank you to our Polish friends for helping the Keeping the Kids Learning Program stay active. Ukraine is a different place than it was a year ago, but we will be here doing what we can. It’s our home.

The experiences and events of the past few weeks in Ukraine have been nothing but surreal. If it was a cinematic production I would dismiss it all as outlandish fiction. But it’s not.

“Keeping The Kids Learning” is a grassroots effort, working at the street level providing the daily basics to children and high-school age young adults.

The sun will rise soon. Another day begins in our poor country. The days are the same. Coffee, then more coffee, then we begin the drive to our next distribute point

It has been a tough week in Ukraine, and the weeks ahead look to be hard and dangerous. Flooding throughout the Kherson region, an increased level of combat along the 900km front, and the always present threat (and reality) of missile and drone attacks.

Since the beginning of the war I have utilized many shelters during announced air raids. Many had no lighting, were flooded by leaky pipes, doors locked. Some had “hosts” demanding money, or proof that you were an occupant of the building.

The mid-Spring weather is quickly drying up mud winter created in Ukraine, turning it brick-like pathways. Much easier for men, vehicles, and supplies to begin the journey east to the front.

It has been quiet the past two weeks and volunteers took the opportunity to go visit some of the more remote classrooms in the central and eastern regions.

Our goal is help children, teachers are the conduit for getting your gifts directly to those kid’s. Thank you for supporting us!

As the warmer months return, so do people. It seems for many “Keep The Kid’s Learning” is the school of choice. But we are not a school……..

Winter is over, the war is not. In the past few months some our teachers have lost husbands. Some of our students have lost family members. We are sad, of course, but not hopeless, or helpless.

This weekend our efforts in Ukraine are being featured on the network television program Raw Travel. The show is carried on stations across the United States.

At the one-year mark of the conflict in Ukraine “Keep The Kids Learning” continues to provide basic supplies and services to IDP’s and those impacted by loss of heating fuels, electricity, medical care, and food in multiple across Ukraine.

It is with great sorrow that Global Outreach Doctors announces the passing of our Ukraine Country Director, Pete Reed. Pete was providing medical aid to Ukrainian civilian when his ambulance was hit with a Russian laser-guided missile in Bakhmut, Ukraine on Feb 2, 2023.

Yesterday, another day of drones and missiles. Teachers, kids, drivers continue in their daily tasks.

We are still here. More kids than we have supplies.

School activities in the western regions are stable and growing. The level of missile and drone attacks has dropped significantly in the western oblasts, allowing for a more normal daily schedule.

Hello, and Happy New Year! We have reached day 300 in this war, a sad milestone.

A statement from UNICEF: The U.N. warned that nearly 7 million children in Ukraine are don’t have regular access to electricity, heat or water, raising their risks as temperatures drop.

Six van loads of small generators, butane heaters, water purification filters and emergency blankets in Ukraine. Deployment to the communities from our kids schools, as they have become gathering places, or at least “information booths” for IDP’s.

Missiles hitting most major cities in Ukraine over the past hour. The shipments of emergency equipment and blankets will be in-transit from Poland in a few days.

By Joseph Nichols, Organizer

New York Times: "As many as three million Ukrainians are expected to leave their homes this winter, officials from the World Health Organization said Monday, "

I just returned to Eastern Europe from the United States, where I had the opportunity to meet with a number of donors, and with Rob Rose from RawTravel.tv. Rob has been a huge supporter of “Keep the Kids Learning”, and I cannot thank him enough.

In the US for a few days getting a container of emergency equipment loaded and shipped. Small solar generators, water filtration, aluminum/Mylar emergency blankets, and 4000btu butane heaters.

In the grips of war, Ukraine faces bleak demographic future as the refugee crisis is exacerbating Ukraine’s irreversible demographic decline, which began in the Soviet era.

November is the beginning of the “cold months” in Ukraine (only 54 hours of sunshine normally) ………

The current attacks on the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine has prompted the Ministry of Education to order that schools revert to on-line classes, most likely all through the winter months.

Yesterday was a tough, but expected day. Slowly, the regional power-grids are coming back online. It will take much longer to repair the thermal-heating plants that were damaged by missiles.

It has not been such a good week in L’viv. Supplies coming from Poland were taken in Ukraine by border guards.

The weather is still good, but the evenings have the early autumn chill, usually welcome after a long and hot summer. Not so welcome this year.

With news today of a partial mobilization in Russia and the impending annexation of occupied territory, we have witnessed an immediate increase in rents in western Ukraine and a lot of panic buying in markets

800 children’s winter jackets arriving next week. Nothing fancy, all the same color. The plan is to include the jackets in packages that include a scarf, mittens and a small thermos.

A note from the UN today………

The school year in Ukraine has begun but there are not enough teachers.

The new school year starts in two weeks. The government believes that there is about 30% classroom space available. 70% of the students will need to attend remotely.

The Red Cross is sending a couple of volunteers this week to show the older kids how to apply compression bandages (aka: plasters) and demonstrate other first-aid techniques.

As of today we have 32 teachers, 280 students, and 48 volunteers.

What is our goal with the “Kid’s Program”?

It seems the “next” phase of the conflict, though not as broad in geographical focus, will be affecting many more people.

The conflict in the east continues to push people out of their homes and into safer regions.

The medical deliveries continue, not much funding yet, but many donations of equipment and supplies.

An end of school year video taken from a regional news-site.

Statement by Amin Awad, Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine marking 100 days since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

This is a summary of what was said by Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s (June 3rd, 2022) press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Three months into the war, Lviv residents are now well acquainted with the air raid procedure.

Joseph searches for a classroom for internally displaced refugee children in Lviv

After a quick trip to the U.S. to pick-up supplies and medical equipment, we are back in Ukraine.

The waiting list has grown to over 200 kids.

Many refugees are returning to Ukraine as the war drags on.

Easter weekend here.

We are not holding classes today as the city was attacked this morning.

Thank you all! Have a Happy Easter.

As of today, there are more than 95 kids that attended the two separate groups hosted by six teachers. Teachers and kids are all IDP’s.

Two-Thirds of Ukrainian children are displaced

Who are the people fleeing?

11.3 Million people displaced since February

Joseph begins Care4Ukraine to help Internally Displaced Refugees (IDPs) in Ukraine.