Bright Kids Charity: Supporting the future of Ukrainian Children

In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, many organizations–both grassroots and politically/government affiliated–have directed their efforts to the vulnerable citizens affected by conflict. All of these organizations share the common purpose of aiding the uprooted persons of Ukraine but each and every organization focuses on unique issues to address. A grassroots organization that we would like to highlight goes by the name of “Bright Kids Charity” (BKC) and this organization aims to aid disabled and vulnerable children impacted by the conflict. Employing incredible support from strangers around the world, this organization focuses on providing children in Ukraine with essential materials, hospitals and departments with medical equipment and supplies, and orphanages with hygiene related supplies. In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, BKC believes that it is now more important than ever to provide for vulnerable children who cannot flee from the conflict on their own (Blinder).

BKC recognizes that because there is a lack of support for vulnerable children from the government, financial assistance from elsewhere is needed (Blinder); Bright Kids Charity aims to supplement these needs in place of the government. Utilizing funds from their donors, Bright Kids Charity provides children with the financial resources to receive proper medical treatments and tests. In addition to directly providing financial support to children, BKC also promotes awareness of causes related to theirs and advocates for various fundraisers. The meaningful impact of this organization is evident from the community response page on the Bright Kids Charity website :

“We thank Bright Kids Charity, namely Natalie Blinder and Olga Kuz, for paying for my son Arthur’s 30th physical rehabilitation course at Kozyavkin International Rehabilitation Clinic in Truskavets starting from 16.09.19 to 27.09.19 . We are infinitely grateful to all who help and support us. I thank everyone for not leaving me alone with the problems and for believing in me and my son!”
"— Natalia K."

Bright Kids Charity is also hosting multiple charity projects on the GlobalGiving platform , one of them being “Ukraine Tensions: No Child Forgotten”. In Spring of 2022, Oksana Masters, an athlete of Ukrainian origin who competed in the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, donated 50,000 USD of her prize money to the “No Child Forgotten” project. Her generous contribution to the charity remains as a large portion of the total funds presently raised. With about 109,000 USD raised so far, this project aims to provide resources to struggling families. For example, single mothers of disabled children are incredibly vulnerable to the current situation and receiving medical treatments and examinations have been becoming more and more inaccessible. The “No Child Forgotten” project seeks to ensure that displaced Ukrainian children with disabilities have access to treatment such as physical therapy. Accordingly, the long term goal of this project is to provide support for awareness and social welfare for vulnerable children and their families.

Due to the mass migrations occurring in Ukraine, many hospitals are also experiencing shortages of supplies and equipment. Especially in cities that have been under attack (such as Kyiv), “where moms with newborns have to hide in bunkers”, assistance is dire (Charitable). These aforementioned hospitals are either in danger of or have already been affected by attacks such as shelling or other forms of disturbance; according to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s office, over thirty hospitals have been shelled across the nation. Accordingly, another BKC project on the GlobalGiving platform–”Ukraine Crisis: Support Children’s Hospitals”– calls for donors to support Children’s hospitals in Ukraine during the ongoing crisis. Recently, Bright Kids Charity has utilized the donations from this project to contribute thousands of dollars of equipment to the intensive Care Unit of the Kyiv City Children’s Clinical Hospital #1. Such equipment is used to keep track of a person’s heart rate, blood pressure, blood-oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and more. This equipment is key in tracking a patient’s health and will allow for better care. On a larger scale, these donations and support are essential in keeping the morale of the ordinary citizens of Ukraine in the face of their disheartening situations.

A third project currently hosted by Bright Kids Charity is called “Ukraine: Help Orphans Affected by War”. Orphans are extremely vulnerable even amongst the fleeing citizens of Ukraine. As children who have no direct parental care and have no choice but to rely on their orphanages, many are unlikely to have the opportunity to flee conflict. Specialized institutions such as orphanages are under pressure financially as government funding shifts to accommodate for war efforts. Already underfunded before the war, these orphanages would struggle even more without the assistance of organizations like Bright Kids Charity. Besides providing orphanages with “diapers, hygiene and cleaning products, and stationery” (Charitable), BKC aids orphanages in building or property renovations as well. Some orphanages have educational needs as well, with BKC assisting them with classroom resources and other educational related items. A specific instance of charity that BKC facilitated was at an orphanage in Znamenka where the charity organization donated thousands of dollars worth of wheelchairs for disabled children.

In order to protect the wellbeing of the vulnerable children of Ukraine in times of crisis, Bright Kids Charity has contributed many resources and lived up to its mission “to provide underprivileged children and their mothers with the support they need to create a brighter future” (Charitable). Please consider supporting BKC in their goals and donating to these projects:

 [1. Ukraine Tensions: No Child Forgotten], [2. Ukraine Crisis: Support Children’s Hospitals], and [3. Ukraine: Help Orphans Affected by War].

References:

Blinder, Natalie, and Nataliia Romanshchak, editors. Bright Kids Charity. brightkidscharity.com.

    Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.

“Charitable Organization Bright Kids Charity.” GlobalGiving, www.globalgiving.org/donate/80020/

    charitable-organization-bright-kids-charity/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.