In Ukraine, the winter of 2025–2026 begins against a backdrop of ongoing destruction of homes and infrastructure and a new wave of attacks on the energy system. According to WeWorld estimates, up to 12.7 million people in the country need assistance, with internally displaced Ukrainians, numbering around 3.7 million, remaining among the most vulnerable. Almost half of them, approximately 1.9 million, are children.
The risks are exacerbated by the fact that more than 50% of Ukraine’s generating capacity is out of service, according to the report’s estimates. Electricity and heat are primarily directed to hospitals and critical services, while households face cold, darkness and disruptions to daily life.
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Children at the centre of the winter crisis
The document emphasises that the lack of light and heating affects more than just comfort. It increases anxiety, restricts movement, hinders learning and increases health and safety risks. Families report night terrors in children, sleep disturbances and symptoms of stress related to cold, darkness and frequent air raid sirens.
One of the voices featured in the report belongs to a resident of Kharkiv. She describes the consequences of the shelling as follows: “My windows were blown out during the last bombings, and now we have no protection. It’s cold, so I covered the openings with wooden panels, but the house is dark. My children keep asking when all this will end.”
Energy attacks and “schools without light”
WeWorld notes that one of the largest waves of strikes occurred on 28–29 November, when, according to the report, Russia used more than 600 drones and missiles. Many regions subsequently experienced prolonged power outages, and damaged houses are less able to retain heat in sub-zero temperatures.
Educational losses are exacerbated by unstable communications and power shortages in frontline areas. The report states that since February 2022, 2,800 schools have been damaged or destroyed in Ukraine, 340 of them in the last year. This has resulted in barriers to learning: according to the authors’ estimates, 4.6 million children are facing restrictions on access to education this academic year, already in the fourth year of full-scale war.
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What humanitarian organisations will be doing in the winter of 2025
The report describes WeWorld’s multi-sector winter response in the areas of education and child protection, psychosocial support, WASH, emergency shelter and non-food items, as well as humanitarian demining and mine safety education. The organisation’s approach is based on a combination of regular classes for children, mobile psychosocial support, technical coordination and cooperation with municipal and national child care systems to maintain continuity of services in wartime conditions.
Particular emphasis is placed on safe spaces for children. The report notes that 19 child-friendly spaces remain open in residential facilities and family-based care settings. They are equipped with generators and alternative heat sources, and children have the opportunity to learn, play and participate in creative therapy and emotional support activities on a weekly basis. At the same time, mobile teams and a contact centre for caregivers are operating to ensure that assistance reaches families in the most affected areas.
For households whose homes have been damaged, the report describes a cash support tool for urgent repairs to restore basic shelter protection and reduce health risks to children. Some of the measures are aimed at supporting the heating and water supply systems in shelters and health centres, which is critical for hygiene and safety during the cold season.
Another area of focus is practical training for children and teachers on hygiene, menstrual health and stress management, as well as winter sessions on mine awareness, when poor visibility and damaged infrastructure increase the risk of contact with explosive objects.
Results of six months of work and request for scaling
A separate section of the report summarises the results of WeWorld’s interventions over the last six months. These include support for more than 1,500 children and adolescents through safe spaces, psychosocial and educational activities, the distribution of more than 3,000 hygiene kits, the repair of 100 houses after shelling, and the rehabilitation of three medical facilities providing services to children. The document also mentions 800 vouchers that helped about 3,000 people, as well as support for 130 children in 19 family homes and 200 children in four institutional facilities.
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Focus on risk groups and regions near the front line
The report identifies children, particularly children with disabilities, adolescents and caregivers, as well as single-parent households, families who have taken in orphans or children without parental care, large families, pregnant women and families with children under three years of age as priority groups for the winter of 2025. Geographically, WeWorld plans to consolidate and expand its work in the child care network in Kyiv and in communities in the east and south close to the front line. Particularly in rural areas with a shortage of services, as well as in the Mykolaiv region.
What is being proposed as next steps
In their roadmap for the coming months, the organisations point to the need to expand mobile psychosocial support teams, increase the number of warm and safe spaces for learning and leisure, and strengthen support for households. This includes essential winter items and home insulation. Other priorities include developing support networks for caregivers and specialists, further mine safety training for children, support for water utilities and communities in restoring water supply and heating. Continued distribution of hygiene kits to IDPs and vulnerable people in the frontline areas, modernisation of bathrooms and heating systems, renovation of hospitals and medical centres, and expansion of voucher assistance to more families.
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