JENKINTOWN — A local Ukrainian women’s organization celebrating its 100th anniversary this month is helping raise funds to bring Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia during the war back home.
The Ukrainian National Women’s League of America has launched a Hope for Ukraine’s Children campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 by Nov. 20, World Children’s Day, to locate and return 25 Ukrainian children from Russia.
“As of September 2026, Ukraine has officially verified 20,651 cases of children deported or forcibly transferred by Russia,” said Liliia Decos, president of the Philadelphia Regional Council of the UNWLA. “The true number may be significantly higher, as each case must be individually verified, and Russia does not provide Ukraine or international organizations with comprehensive information.
“As of September 29, 2,650 children have been returned through Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back initiative.
“Bringing the Ukrainian kids back home is one of the most important parts of our work right now,” Decos said. “For a few years we’ve been talking about the issue of bringing back kids; we want to be part of bringing them back.”
The funds will be used to “support efforts to bring Ukrainian children home and provide the rehabilitation and care they need upon their return,” she said.
“It’s a lot of money for only 25 kids; the real number is even bigger,” she said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.
“The issue is not disappearing from the agenda. The children are our future. If you take our children, what are we fighting for?”
The Regional Council, based in Jenkintown, includes seven local branches — five in the Philadelphia area, one in Wilmington, Del., and one in Bethlehem, Decos said. The 100th anniversary celebration of the UNWLA is slated for Oct. 25 at the Ukrainian Center in Jenkintown.
There are 176 members in the Philadelphia region, of which 30 to 40 attend meetings and activities at the Jenkintown branch, Decos said. A lot of Ukrainians live in Jenkintown, where there are Ukrainian businesses and a bank, she said.
Most members are connected to the UNWLA through their families, “their mothers and grandmothers were members,” Decos said. Members are either from Ukraine or are a Ukrainian descendent; about 20,000 are newcomers because of the war, she said.
Most speak Ukrainian, but some branches do not, Decos said. Third generation speak English and communication is in English; “we are still an American organization,” she said.
“It’s harder now with newcomers who don’t speak English well, but we try to get everybody on board.”
Before the war, preserving culture and heritage in the United States was the focus of the UNWLA, now it’s advocacy, she said.
“Advocacy for Ukraine, to let our voices be heard,” Decos said. “We are not part of Russia; we deserve to live.”
In a related move, the UNWLA is asking its members to ask their U.S. representatives to co-sponsor the Justice for Ukrainian Children Act (H.R.10473), according to the nonprofit’s website.
Introduced in September, the bipartisan bill would authorize U.S. efforts to investigate, document, verify and help prevent Russia’s unlawful transfer, deportation, indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children. The bill, which has been referred to the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary, also contains provisions addressing accountability and sanctions.
“We need to talk about the issue of kidnapped kids and raise awareness,” Decos said. “It should be dear to everyone. We’re definitely hopeful.
“There is no peace with Russia until the children are back,” she said. If it’s enacted, “it would be impossible for Russia to negotiate using our children as a bargaining chip. It would make the process much easier.”
The Ukrainian diaspora in the Philadelphia region is the second largest after Chicago, Decos said; 90 percent are second or third generation.
The majority came during a first wave in the late 1800s, with a second wave in the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed, Decos said. Those coming now due to the war are the last wave, she said.
Ukrainians new to the country can go to the Ukrainian Center, “and they will direct them to where they can connect with others,” she said. It does not offer help with resettling, “but if they need community or networking.”
Decos, who came to the United States four years ago because of the war, has worked for Jewish Family Services in Delaware to help Ukrainians find housing and resettle and “learn how to live life in America,” she said. She now works as an outreach specialist building relationships with other organizations focused on outpatient therapy, she said.
A member of the organization for more than two years, she said, “I wanted to find my people and help Ukrainians, and met someone who was a member of UNWLA, which is like a sisterhood.”
Elected president of the Regional Council in February, Decos said, “We have people who have been members for over a decade; they’re second generation. They have my back and help me throughout the process.”
Most people learn of the UNWLA through word of mouth or events, she said.
“Everybody is busy working, so you have to offer something for people willing to donate time to your cause,” Decos said. “The last four years people have been active because they have an urge to retain the culture and also to help Ukraine.”
The UNWLA rents a room in the Jenkintown Ukrainian Center, which also hosts a Ukrainian library and school on Saturdays, where the language, culture and history of Ukraine is taught, she said.
The Ukrainian school in Jenkintown, attended by about 400 children, “is the largest in the world,” Decos said. In addition to housing businesses, the library and the school, the building hosts different events every Sunday, she said.
Each branch normally meets at least once a month, sometimes every two weeks, she said. As she lives in Delaware with her two children, Decos attends meetings via zoom.
About 100 members attend the annual Regional Council meeting, where reports are given on the types of events held and planned, she said.
For the centennial celebration all seven branches in the region will come together, Decos said. A member from each branch will be honored
The Oct. 25 centennial celebration at the Ukrainian Center, 700 N. Cedar Road, Jenkintown, will include food, music and a specially designed headscarf for every adult.
Tickets can be purchased at https://givebutter.com/c/UNWLA100 or at the door.
Further information and a link to contributing to the Hope for Ukraine’s Children fundraiser can be found at www.unwla.org.