TCUP Report: Transnational Experiences of Ukrainian Displaced Children
A new Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program (TCUP) report explores the individual accounts of 63 Ukrainian children displaced by the Russo-Ukrainian War. This report was authored by Sofia Polishchuk, the director of the Children of Ukraine Foundation, and a 2022 student of the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute.
The project’s findings paint a heartbreaking portrait of loss, tenacity, adaptability, and hope. It tracks the journey of these children, beginning with their lives prior to the invasion on February 24th, in 2022. Major periods that followed included the transition to host communities, the adaptation process, and confrontations with physical or psychological trauma. Lastly, the report touches on the prospects for the future of these Ukrainian children. Firsthand accounts of these five phases in each child’s life were collected through an online survey completed by parents and guardians. An interview was also conducted with a humanitarian volunteer, who helped hundreds resettle.
These stories are a part of a bigger picture, reflecting the brutality of the Russian Armed Forces’ campaigns against civilians. This has resulted in Europe’s greatest displacement crisis since World War II, with over 14 million Ukrainians forced to flee their homes. The youngest survivors of this crisis will likely suffer long-term consequences. The TCUP Report recommends that national governments assist displaced families, and back Ukraine in its struggle for victory. With such support, Ukrainian children may one day have a home to return to.