Grant from Afya

As part of our 2026 strategy, Birds for Sofia is focusing on strengthening healthcare infrastructure and sustaining hospital-level continuity of care in Ukraine, rather than funding individual patient applications.

To bring this vision to life, BfS secured a competitive grant from the Afya Foundation, accepted a massive donation of medical supplies, and covered the transatlantic transit costs to deliver them directly to our long-time partner, the Clinical Center for Children’s Healthcare in Lviv, Ukraine.

This shipment delivered 234,500 units of medical equipment and consumables with a listed value of nearly $199,000. From sterile operating rooms to the homes of palliative children, these essential supplies address severe shortages across every major department:

🫁 Vital Respiratory Support: 12 portable oxygen concentrators, humidifiers, respiratory circuits, tubes, and manual resuscitation equipment to support infants and children facing acute respiratory complications.

🏥 Hospital-Wide Continuity: Tracheostomy kits, infection control materials, surgical, laboratory, monitoring, and IV supplies to strengthen emergency, urology, pediatric, and palliative care units.

🩺 At-Home Monitoring: 5,000 pulse oximeters are being distributed to pediatric patients, including children with cystic fibrosis and neurological conditions, allowing families to safely monitor oxygen saturation at home.

Over the coming year alone, we estimate this single delivery will directly impact 3,000 to 6,000 patients at the Clinical Center for Children’s Healthcare.

Thank you to our partners at Afya Foundation and our incredible community for helping us move mountains—and medical shipments—for healthcare workers and rare families in Ukraine. While this was a one-time collaboration, we hope it lays the foundation for a long-term partnership to keep vital supplies flowing where they are needed most.

Learn more about our mission in Ukraine and stand with our families!