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Dear Families and Friends of KidsFirst,
We are sure all of you are following the very sad news about what is happening in Ukraine. Many of you know that Inna Pecar, the Executive Director of KidsFirst International Adoption, Inc., is from Ukraine and that KidsFirst has a program in Ukraine and is working with families who are in the middle of their journey to bring children home. The staff of KidsFirst has spent hours, days, and nights communicating with Ukrainian authorities and rescue organizations from all over the world in our effort to help however we can.
We have also received countless phone calls from families who want to donate, adopt, host, and help in every possible way. We have received many requests about either hosting displaced children from Ukraine or donating to assist with the care, protection, and safety of the children.
HOSTING:
Hosting or adopting is out of the question while Ukraine is in a war. There is currently no legal process that could initiate or address an adoption case. After the war ends, Ukrainian social services will guide any adoption process in accordance with their regulations.
DONATIONS:
KidsFirst Foundation, which was started in 2002, is a separate nonprofit entity from KidsFirst International that has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit orphanages in Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Guatemala. KidsFirst Foundation consists of board members and volunteers who donate their time. There are no paid staff members and there are virtually no administrative costs. We expect one hundred percent of donations to go towards the projects we raise money for.
Initially, we have been reluctant to accept donations because we did not have definite projects to direct them to. Now, however, we have identified projects we know will benefit from donations and which will provide relief to those affected by the war in Ukraine. We are ready to start accepting donations!
We receive requests for new projects multiple times a day. Some of them are related to the care of orphans and some involve the provision of assistance to children, women, elderly, and disabled who are surrounded by Russian forces and live in devastating conditions under continuous bombing. They do not have food, medications, water, and other necessities and are trying to escape to safer areas, which is a very risky and difficult task. Inna talks directly with so many of them each day; their strength, patriotism, positivity, and endurance are beyond description.
Following are some of the requests we have received:
Financial help with food, medications, and the most basic humanitarian needs of 2,000 orphans in the Lviv region alone.
Financial or humanitarian help to set up mobile camps where children can safely live.
Request from a group of local helpers who transport humanitarian help to people in Kyiv.
Financial help for transportation and rescue mission of those trapped in the Kherson (Cherson) area. We are communicating multiple times a day with a group of 32 people who are without basic needs of medication and food.
Please note that some of the missions work out and some become impossible because of the rapidly changing conditions in an area. Some areas just become too dangerous to send people into.
We would be most appreciative of any assistance we receive. We do guarantee that one hundred percent of funds received will go towards helping Ukrainian children and people. You can specify your preferences to what project you donate towards, and we will do our best to honor your preference.
