American running orphanages in Ukraine worried government will cut off funding
NEW YORK -- It's estimated there are more than 100,000 children in orphanages in Ukraine.
CBS2's Alice Gainer spoke with one American man who runs two there. He's afraid the government will cut off funding and they'll run out of food and medicine.
"We got the wake-up call at 5:30 in the morning yesterday and it was the bombs that went off at the airport," said Mark Davis, founding director of Abundance International.
He's in Mykolaiv, a few hundred miles from Kyiv.
"We definitely saw fighter jets going over, military planes heading down towards the south, towards Crimea, so we see it here and we know it's coming and it may be here as soon as tomorrow," Davis said.
His main concern is getting supplies like food and medicine to the two orphanages his nonprofit supports in Ukraine because he worries they won't be considered a priority.
"In a time of war, and especially if there's any kind of a transition, who's gonna make sure they're still writing the checks to keep this going? We only cover about half of what they need," Davis said. "Total of 200 children, just ages 0-4, and a third of those are special needs."
In a tweet Friday, Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs accused Russia of war crimes after he says they attacked a kindergarten and orphanage.
Last week, video showed children from orphanages in the Donetsk region being evacuated.
"Are the orphanages, are the children in any imminent danger right now?" Gainer asked.
"I really personally believe they're best where they are. They're walled-in compounds," Davis said. "One of them is in an active combat zone right now in Kherson, but they all seem to be fine ... You're dealing with a third of them have physical needs, special needs of other kinds, and you're dealing with moving them, you're gonna have reduced care and run the risks. I believe they're safer where they are."
"is there a concern there could be a shortage of people to care for the children?" Gainer asked.
"We haven't had people not willing to come do their shifts, but we realize it's a risk. And if we become understaffed, God bless these women, they're just willing to work longer hours to fill the gap," Davis said.
For now, they have supplies and staff, but as Davis says, "We're just day two of this thing."
"What is this gonna look like if this prolongs and there's confusion with the government? Are we looking at one or two months out?" he continued.
He's asking for donations now and says if government funding continues to come through, the donated money will go to other orphanages in need.
Davis says delivery trucks are still making their way in the area. If you'd like to donate, click here.
