UNHCR and UNICEF paid a visit to Ukrainian refugees in Međugorje

As part of the marking of UN day, UNICEF and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the partner organization Bosnia and Herzegovina Women’s Initiative (BHWI), paid a visit to Ukrainian refugees in Medjugorje on October 25.

“I would like to thank the local community, the municipality of Čitluk, and especially the Red Cross and citizens of Medjugorje for their timely and prompt action in providing shelter and organizing support to Ukrainian refugees. The Municipality of Čitluk is a bright example of how communities should respond to the reception of those fleeing their homes in search of safety,” said Lucie Gagné, UNHCR Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On this occasion, a handover ceremony of laptops and school equipment to refugee children took place in a Children’s corner run by the FBiH Red Cross and the Čitluk Red Cross in partnership with UNICEF.

“Apart from this direct support provided by UNHCR and UNICEF in cooperation with Red Cross and BHWI, UNHCR has also upgraded the IT cabinet of the Bijakovići Primary School in Međugorje for all pupils to use with the aim of creating an inclusive environment and facilitating interaction among children from the local community and refugee children,” Ms. Gagné added.

“The sooner children who have survived the war are able to learn and interact with classmates and teachers in a school environment, the faster they catch up and recover – particularly the most vulnerable children. In addition to the support provided by UNHCR, UNICEF will be engaging learning support officers who will be providing daily assistance to Ukrainian children within the school to continue learning through the Ukrainian curriculum,“ said dr Rownak Khan, UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Andrija Stojić, Secretary of the Red Cross of Čitluk Municipality, expressed his gratitude that mothers with children from Ukraine found refuge in Medjugorje and that citizens were given the opportunity to show humanity and hospitality. “All those present today, UNHCR, UNICEF, CRS, Red Cross, made a selfless and great contribution, and I thank everyone for that, as well as for visiting and donating what we needed most at the moment for the smooth running of classes in the Ukrainian language,” said Stojić.

Since the war began in Ukraine, over 14 million people have been forced to flee, among them hundreds of thousands of school-age children. Ensuring that they all have access to education presents a massive challenge.

In the hope they will be able to return to their former schools soon, refugee children in Medjugorje follow the Ukrainian curriculum online, virtually attending lessons made available by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, and from now on, with the support of UNICEF and UNHCR, they will be enabled to follow lessons from the school desks of primary school Bijakovići.