MYKOLAIV, Ukraine (NewsNation Now) — Advocates of the more than 100,000 orphaned children in the country are sounding the alarm.
For more than 15 years, the Nevada-based group “Abundance International” has been a lifeline for two Ukrainian orphanages — providing money, medicine, manpower and equipment. The children in these orphanages are no older than 4.
It’s never been easy – but it’s never been harder than now, the organization’s founder and director, Mark Edward Daniels, said on Banfield Friday night.
Daniels, who spoke from in southern Ukraine, said the children don’t realize they’re in the middle of a war.
“For them, it’s more like a heavy storm of lightning and thunder,” said Davis. “And when they hear the noise, a comforting parent has to come along and just say ‘it’s going be okay.’”
Davis said they are still able to get in contact with doctors and their food supply should last them up to a month. But he’s worried about what would happen if the Ukrainian government falls.
“My biggest fear is … we build these ICU units, birthing centers, everything else we can to help these kids to have a good life. We only cover a portion of the funding. The government has always been the undercurrent,” he said.
In the event of a transitional government, Davis worries the children in his care will become bureaucratic casualties.
“Is it really a priority [for a new] government to keep writing the checks to these [organizations]? If it is a transitioning government? Has the new government already made this a priority to happen? Or is this going to get lost in the bureaucratic shell police departments?”
His operation is located on the southern border of Ukraine and not far from the eastern border where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for years. Davis said that while there has always been political rhetoric, he never thought it would come to an invasion.
“Every Ukrainian has family and relatives in Russian and every Russian has family relatives here. We’ve seen this for eight years … the noise and the posturing and the political bantering but nobody believed it would actually come to war,” Davis said.
In the event Russia does take control, Davis hopes President Vladimir Putin keeps vital infrastructure in place.
“The banks are all up, the internet is all up, cell phone systems are still up,” said Davis. “So we have hope and faith that Putin intends of keeping those up in order to reestablish normality as quickly as possible — if he is in charge.”
If Ukraine is able to hold the country, he’s confident operations will return to normal.
To learn more about Abundance International, or to make a donation, click here.