(2 Mar 2022) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4368861
As the war in Ukraine rages on, the borders of neighboring countries are being overwhelmed with Ukrainians, mostly women and children, trying to flee.
UNICEF has said it is extremely worried about the wellbeing of children who have become refugees overnight.
"There's no school, there are no children going to school, spoke to many kids today, all under 10. There's no online learning at the moment. Sit and draw and anything that you know you can try and occupy the time to take it away from the stress they see written over their mother's face. The only lesson they are learning right now, you know, is what air raid sirens mean," said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.
Elder is in the Ukrainian city of Lviv and said he has seen mostly women and children fleeing the country.
"They're often fathers there, but they're always farewelling their sons and daughters and their wives," said Elder.
Elder said UNICEF benefits from the fact they already had a presence in eastern Ukraine from when the conflict started in 2014, but said that the war escalated so quickly that there are "children right now we simply cannot reach."
"We have support at borders, but at the same time that the demand is going to keep outstripping supply unless we see an end to this conflict," said Elder.
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