17-year-old Maria returned from the temporarily occupied territory to free Ukraine thanks to the efforts of the UCRN and Helping to Leave

17-year-old Maria returned from the temporarily occupied territory to free Ukraine thanks to the efforts of the UCRN and Helping to Leave.

The working week ended on Friday with good news not only for the Way Home project team, but for the whole country.

Another child at home!
On Friday, 17-year-old Maria crossed the Ukrainian border. For the first time in a long time, she saw the Ukrainian flag, heard her native language and hugged her family.

The team worked hastily to return the girl so that she could be in time for the start of the academic year at one of Kyiv’s universities. Despite the difficulties of living under occupation, Maria passed her exams and applied to the university online. She was accepted and today she is starting a new chapter in her life.

The girl’s guardian, together with the Way Home team and government agencies, did everything possible to bring Maria back to Ukraine.

The road home was as long and difficult as ever, but our work is worth every effort to ensure that all the children abducted by Russia live a full life in their country.
The Ukrainian Child Rights Network will provide all the necessary support for the family, as they have a long way to go to recover and adapt.

We thank the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine for its help in bringing Maria back home.

“The Way Home” is a project aimed at finding and returning children displaced to the Russian Federation or to the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine, as well as reuniting families whose children are without parents during the occupation. The project is implemented by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network in partnership with Save the Children in Ukraine
Our other partners are: Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, EDUKIDS Charitable Foundation, Media Initiative for Human Rights.

The materials developed within the project do not necessarily reflect the official position of Save the Children