Unbroken Kids

Unbroken kids website

One of our charitable objectives is “Unbroken Kids”. The Unbroken charity supports the people suffering from the war in Ukraine. This support takes many forms, and the specific project that Vets with Horsepower will raise funds for is the Children's hospital. Doctors like surgeon Professor Brambilla travel there regularly to help children in Ukraine. The projects help heal in a physical and psychological sense. We can only hope the war in Ukraine will be over by the time we get on our motorbikes, but even if it is, there will still be many wounds to heal...​

The war in Ukraine

• Total Civilian Casualties: There are reports of 12,000 civilians killed and 30,000 gravely wounded.
• Displacement: 4 million people have lost their homes and their possessions.
• Infrastructure Damage:
  • 4,000 schools have been hit.
  • More than 1,000 hospitals have been destroyed.
  • 250,000 buildings have been hit by bombs.
• Alarms and Shelters: In Kyiv alone, children and citizens have had to spend over 1,660 hours in shelters due to air raid alarms sounding approximately 1,500 times.

Impact on children

• Casualties: Official data reports approximately 600 children have been killed.
  
• Injuries: There are 1,200 children who have been gravely wounded.
  
• Deportations and Disappearances: About 19,500 children have been deported, and 2,100 are considered "disappeared".
  
• Amputations: 950 children have suffered permanent mutilations, such as the loss of limb segments.
  
• Psychological Trauma: Many children are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
  
• Orphans: In other conflict areas (specifically related to the Vatican sources on the Israel-Gaza situation), 20,000 children have been left orphaned, this gives context to the situation in Ukraine.
  
  

What Unbroken Kids Does; Unbroken Kids is a comprehensive project dedicated to the physical and psychological rehabilitation of children affected by war. It operates as a large centre staffed by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers, orthopaedic technicians, and psychologists.

Their specific activities include:

• Prosthetics and Mobility: The centre builds prosthetics for children who have lost limbs and teaches them how to walk again.
  
• Sensory and Physical Rehabilitation: They teach blind children how to develop new senses to navigate their world.
  
• Trauma Therapy: Recognizing that many wounds are "of the spirit" rather than just the body, the center treats post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children who may have stopped speaking or are terrified by noise.
  
• Therapeutic Activities: To relieve trauma, the centre utilizes art, sculpture, and painting. They also employ "pet therapy" as part of their psychological support efforts.
  
  

The Impact of the Charity; the organization’s goal is to "invent peace" by restoring hope and smiles to innocent children whose lives have been shattered. The impact is illustrated through specific success stories:

• Physical Transformation (Yana's Story): Yana, a girl who lost both legs in a missile strike, received prosthetics that allowed her to do more than just walk; she began running, something she had never done before. She eventually participated in the Boston and Tokyo marathons and has become a symbol of strength for others who have lost parts of their bodies.
  
• Psychological Recovery (Veronika's Story): Nika, who was the sole survivor of her family after being buried under rubble for three days, arrived at the centre locked in grief and unable to speak. Through the affection and professionalism of the centre's psychologists and experts, she was able to "bloom again" despite her deep mental wounds.
  
• Broader Social Impact: The project strives to turn tragedy into "something beautiful," acting as an unstoppable force of collective aid—described as an ocean made of many drops—to support the weak and "unbroken".