They Survived the War, and Now They’re Freezing

February in Ukraine is not poetic in the least. It’s not the beautiful kind of winter you romanticize from under a quilt with a mug of coffee. Instead, it is sharp and relentless; the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and refuses to leave.

And this year, for millions of families, it is something even worse.

Russian forces are systematically targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Power plants. Oil refineries. Gas facilities. The very systems that keep homes warm and lights on are being bombed. Massive blackouts are spreading across the country. There’s no electricity or heat. In short, there’s no way to stay warm in the coldest weeks of the year.

More than 3 million people are still displaced inside Ukraine. They’ve already endured nearly four years of war. Many are living in damaged homes, temporary shelters, or buildings never meant to withstand this kind of winter. And now they’re facing freezing temperatures without power.

As parents, this undoes us.

We think about our children padding down the hallway in warm pajamas. The hum of the heater kicking on in the middle of the night. The quiet luxury of flipping a switch and watching a room glow with light. These are things we rarely think about. They are background comforts.

In Ukraine right now, they are not guaranteed.

This is where we can do something tangible.

USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is rushing emergency relief to families trying to survive this brutal winter. And the help is practical, immediate, and life sustaining:

• $60 can provide thermal blankets to shield families from the bitter cold.

• $95 can provide winter clothes for a child.

• $179 can provide a solar kit for families living without electricity.

These are blankets around small shoulders, boots on frozen ground, a light in a dark room.

The attacks aren’t stopping, and weeks of dangerous cold still lie ahead.

If you’re able, please consider donating to support this work. Even one gift can mean warmth where there was none.

You can give directly at this link.

We know there are so many causes, so many headlines, so many needs competing for attention, but sometimes the most human thing we can do is focus on one simple truth: no family should have to choose between surviving a war and surviving the cold.

If you can help, please do.