SWEDEN, July 16 - Through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) humanitarian fund, to which Sweden is a major donor, it was possible to provide immediate assistance to people affected by the missile attack on the children’s hospital in Ohmatdyt on 8 July. The Government is now preparing a decision to provide an additional SEK 5 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to the ongoing response. This support will be channelled through UNICEF and go directly to the affected children and their families.
“Yet another humanitarian boundary was transgressed when Russian missiles targeted sick children. Sweden stands united with Ukraine against these horrific attacks,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell.
In the coming days and weeks, UNICEF will provide roughly SEK 2 800 per person in cash support to the families of the 627 children who were in the hospital at the time of the attack. Sweden is preparing a decision on additional support in order to be able to contribute to these efforts. UNICEF will also provide assistance to the reconstruction of the hospital, but is awaiting the hospital’s and local authorities’ needs assessments.
There were 627 children in the Ohmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv when it was attacked on 8 July. 70 per cent of the hospital was damaged in the attack, including operating theatres, the intensive care units and the oncology wards.
UNICEF was among the first actors on the ground after the attack. With the help of UNICEF’s humanitarian fund, to which Sweden is a major donor, it was possible to provide immediate assistance in the form of water, recreational materials (including toys, games, sport equipment and painting supplies) for children, 300 solar cell lamps, 40 first aid kids, 500 water bottles and 50 hygiene kits. To supplement the national volunteers on the ground, UNICEF also directly assisted with urgent psychological support via telephone and online hotlines – for which there was high demand.