Russia turns the heating back on for children and families

Children and families across south eastern Europe who have gone without heat since the year began, were today expecting the return of gas services. Millions have been without heat since January 1, when the contract agreeing gas prices between Russia and Ukraine expired.

The dispute has touched about 20 countries and the worst affected are some of the poorest including Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, The Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia. Russia’s Gazprom today restarted the gas flow to Europe, through The Ukraine and it was expected full pressure would be reached by lunchtime, the BBC reported.

Russia and the Ukraine have been feuding over gas prices, transport fees and unpaid debts since December 31. Gazprom, the world’s biggest natural gas producer blocked supplies to Ukraine’s transit pipelines. The supplies were to resume after the two sides signed 10-year natural-gas contracts on Monday as Russia confirmed gas shipments to the 27-nation bloc would resume in "full volumes" through all export routes. The supplies were expected to take at least 36 hours to travel through Ukraine pipeline networks to the European countries hit by severe gas shortages and heating cuts during the crisis.

Children suffer in freezing temperatures

It couldn't have happened at a worse time. Both countries were suffering the effects of the recession, and the stoppages forced several industries out of production. Those workers who did make it to work were in poor health, many complaining of colds and flu because their houses were cold and they had no hot water. Children sat in frozen classrooms before many were sent home from schools indefinitely.

“It's freezing cold outside. There are six of us in our house, me and my wife, my two sons and my elderly parents,” Serif Zvizdic wrote on a BBC website. “We wear as many clothes as we can and wrap ourselves in blankets,” said the bank worker from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. “Most places in Sarajevo, institutions, factories, schools, rely on gas for their heating. It's a terrible situation.”

Millions of children live in poverty in the eastern bloc which has some of Europefs highest HIV rates. Some 59,866 new cases of HIV were recorded among the 15 former-Soviet according to a 1997 report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. SOS Children helps with material, educational, health, legal and social support across eastern Europe, including countries such as Ukraine and Bulgaria.

In December, SOS Children UK made a special appeal to donors asking them to consider donating winter fuel payments to help orphaned children.
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Written by Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children