© UNICEF/Andriy Boiko. A newborn baby lies in an incubator at a maternity ward that was moved to the basement of a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine.
- We are raising $4,500,000 6.4%
Why are we focusing on this?
As attacks from Russia on Ukraine continue, the Ukrainian Association of Washington State (UAWS) is committed to helping where it’s needed most. We do this by maintaining constant communication with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to ensure our efforts are aligned with the urgent needs that arise during these challenging times.
According to the UN Population Fund, an estimated 265,000 Ukrainian women were pregnant when the war broke out, and about 80,000 births are expected in the next three months. According to the BBC, premature births now account for 50% of deliveries. Many children are born incredibly weak. Their weight reaches an average of 1.3 – 3.3 pounds (lbs) / 600-1500 grams.
What is the goal?
This past summer, we set a goal to raise $4.5 million USD for crucial neonatal care equipment, specifically – neonatal incubators. We aim to provide at least ten units for 50 Ukrainian prenatal and maternity hospitals to help address dire situations with stress-induced premature childbirths. These units will provide infants with a safe and controlled environment, giving them the space and time needed to develop their vital organs.
Help infants get the crucial neonatal care they need!
Monetary donations
Help fund the purchase of the neonatal intensive care units
Material donations
Donate used/refurbished units from hospitals and partner networks in Europe and the US.
Below is the wish list from Ukraine’s Ministry of Health
List of Equipment
| Mobile incubators | 50 units |
| ATOM MEDICAL Dual Incu i | 16 units |
| ATOM MEDICAL Incu i | 16 units |
| ATOM MEDICAL Air Incu i | 16 units |
| ATOM MEDICAL Infa Warmer i | 16 units |
| Neonatal elastic caps | 1000 pcs |
| Maternity operating tables with electromechanical control |
60 pcs |
What we have achieved so far
Thanks to the support of all our donors, we raised $256,000 through June and July. These funds resulted in eighteen Atom Air Incubator i and six Atom Sunflower warmer with infrared heating for newborn babies purchased to aid Ukraine. All purchased medical equipment we delivered to hospitals in Ukraine in September 2022. Those purchases and delivery of medical equipment were the first steps, but we need your help to reach our goals.
The hospital in the Odesa region received one of the first of many neonatal care units!
The maternity hospital №1 in Odesa received the intensive care incubator Atom Medical Air Incu (Japan).
Some of the incubators are already in the Kharkiv Prenatal Center saving lives of the premature babies born during the war.
The premature baby lies in the incubator that we bought and delivered to Ukraine in fall 2022.
This premature baby weighing 500 grams was saved in the Vinnytsia Maternity Center in an incubator that we bought and delivered to Ukraine in fall 2022.
In the Media
‘He Is a Child of War’: Giving Birth Amid Chaos in Ukraine (New York Times)
In Ukraine, mothers bring light of new life into the darkness (UNICEF)
Ukraine: Premature babies struggling for life in bombed cities (BBC)
As Ukraine’s war rages, pregnant women are giving birth prematurely at an alarming rate (ABC)
Ukraine crisis: Premature babies born into war as deliveries forced to take place in hospital basement (Independent)
Ukrainian women are giving birth prematurely due to trauma of war, doctor says (iNews)
Ukrainian refugees confront increase in pregnancy complications (NBC News)