Christmas without father — the heart of the UNITERS Foundation
Since 2014, every December, thousands of volunteers from Poland and Ukraine have joined forces to bring a little light into the lives of children who lost their fathers in the war.
“Christmas without father” is not just an initiative. It is a symbol of remembrance, gratitude, and love for those who gave their lives defending their country and for their families, who learn every day to live with the emptiness left by their loss.
Beginnings of the operation:
When the war broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the UNITERS Foundation decided to do something simple yet incredibly necessary: give holiday gifts to the children of fallen soldiers.
These were not humanitarian packages, but personal, festive gifts, full of warmth, color, and the belief that the world remembers them.
Each gift had its own recipient and was packed with a specific child in mind.
Volunteers, soldiers, chaplains, and partners delivered them personally.
For many children, these gifts meant something more… “a message from father.”
Years 2014–2021:
Over the following years, the initiative expanded throughout all of Ukraine.
By 2021, more than 20,000 individual gifts had been distributed.
Every year in December, a charity auction was held on facebook.com/swietabeztaty, where unique items donated by artists, athletes, and creators were auctioned off.
The initiative was supported by, among others, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Andrii Deshchytsia and his wife Iryna, the First Lady of Poland Agata Kornhauser-Duda, as well as hundreds of partners from across Europe: volunteers, companies, foundations, and institutions.
2022: Christmas in the dark
After the full-scale war began in 2022, many children in Ukraine spent days and nights in shelters—without electricity, without light, often in silence broken only by explosions. That is why the UNITERS Foundation organized a special edition of the campaign: “Holidays in the Dark.”
Instead of traditional toys, children received flashlights—a symbol of light, hope, and life. A simple gesture became a powerful sign: light is not only practical help, but also a promise that they are not alone.
Thanks to this, thousands of children were able to spend the holidays in a slightly brighter world, both literally and symbolically.
It was then that the idea for the next edition was born—“Holidays on the Front Line,” to bring aid to places where light is still fighting against darkness.
Today - a pause, but not the end:
Today, the “Christmas without father” campaign is on pause out of concern for the safety of the families of fallen soldiers.
We cannot meet with them as we used to, but the spirit of this campaign lives on in every package, in every child who still waits for a miracle.
Because the holidays are about remembrance and a light that never goes out.