Impact
October recap: no child left unseen
October was about more than delivering aid. Winter supplies reached families in Ukraine, children in Gaza found space to play and be heard, and our colleague Laila listened to what schools in Syria need on the ground.
These moments showed young people that they are seen. Here are the stories that shaped our month!
Scaling up winter support for Ukraine
Ukraine is heading into its fifth winter of war. 10.8 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 2.2 million children. With the energy infrastructure badly damaged and temperatures dropping to -20 °C, warmth, light and basic supplies are more urgent than ever.
In October, the first two trucks arrived in Kharkiv, carrying 67,446 relief items worth more than €800,000. Two more trucks are now on their way. In total, volunteers and partners have loaded more than 100,000 relief items in recent weeks.
We wouldn’t be able to do so without the support of a growing community of business partners like Action, bol.com, America Today, Tony’s Chocolonely, Bugaboo, Bamboo Basics, Picnic, Bird, bunq, Coblo, Clean the World, HVEG, Easywalker, ID&T, Young Colfield, Young Impact, HUBO and NOMAD.
It’s a strong start, but the need keeps growing. That’s why we’re scaling up.
Our local partners LifeLine Ukraine and the Relief Coordination Center know exactly where the need is greatest. They make sure the aid reaches families quickly, including close to the front line.
How to take action for Ukraine
🫶 You can help too. Donate goods, contribute financially or use your network to spread the word. Together, we can make sure help reaches people before winter sets in.
No child left unseen: from Syria to the Netherlands
Our Crisis Response Manager Laila visited nine schools in Deir ez-Zor, a remote and underserved region in eastern Syria, this month. After 14 years of conflict, the 2023 earthquakes and climate-related emergencies, Syria’s education system remains severely disrupted. An estimated 2.5 to 3 million children are out of school.
Many schools have been damaged or destroyed, while others lack basic facilities and specialised teachers. The purpose of Laila’s visit was to better understand the educational needs of children and young people in the region.
Her visit is helping shape the next steps of the educational project we support, with local needs and perspectives guiding the work ahead.
While access to education remains a challenge for many young people in Syria, creating a sense of connection and belonging is just as important for those who have found a new home in the Netherlands.
Together with our partner Young Impact, students at Laar & Berg took part in our Mailbox of Love Card Writing Challenge. Writing and decorating cards for young people who recently arrived in the Netherlands. A small gesture to remind them that they are welcome and that someone is thinking of them.
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Students
at Laar & Berg High School
Support for children and adolescents in Gaza
In Gaza, children and adolescents face displacement and hardship every day. But they still need space to be young.
Thanks to our partner Nafs for Empowerment, they found a bit of that space. Across 28 sessions in schools, camps and community spaces, Nafs brought play and psychosocial support together.
Children joined group games and got moving, while teenagers in Khan Younis drew, opened up about their experiences and imagined a safe and hopeful future. Every session came with a hot meal: 822 in total.
And it made a small difference. Participants shared that they made new friends, found room to relax and, above all, felt heard.
A few changes behind the scenes
October brought some changes in our own team too. We said goodbye to colleagues who helped build People for People, and we welcomed a new face to our communications team.
With more trucks heading to Ukraine, our operations team is growing as well. We’re looking for two people who like to get things moving:
- Operations Lead to help strengthen the logistics and supply chains behind our humanitarian work.
- Operations & Logistics Coördinator to be the hands-on link between our warehouse, our volunteers and the trucks heading to crisis areas.
👉 Sound like you, or someone you know?
Coming up!
In November, our winter support for Ukraine continues. More trucks are being prepared, and companies can still join with one of our winter packages.
Students at Montessorischool Steigereiland in Amsterdam will pack backpacks for children in Ukraine, and with Young Impact we’re bringing young people in Groningen into action. Around World Children’s Day on 20 November, we’ll share more about why young people are at the heart of everything we do, from Ukraine to Syria.
There’s still more to do, and many ways to get involved.
