Nonprofit helping Ukrainian orphans, foster families escape country
Nonprofit Kidsave is battling soaring fuel, car rental prices
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A global nonprofit working with children in the foster care system is trying to drive Ukrainian orphans and foster families to safety under the cover of night.
For over two decades, Kidsave has been on a mission connecting children who are close to aging out of the foster program with permanent families or corporate mentors around the globe.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When Russia invaded Ukraine, the nonprofit embarked on a new mission. It began transporting foster children and their families out of the hardest-hit areas.
Kidsave bringing foster families to safety. (Kidsave)
It has also received permission from the Ministry of Social Welfare in Ukraine to transport kids from orphanages to safety as long as they have their birth certificates.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, a band of only four volunteers started moving children and families from Mykolaiv and Kherson, which were the first few cities that came under attack.
The volunteers grabbed any car they could borrow or rent and drove the refugees to safer, undisclosed locations.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But as the attacks kept coming, "they realized they had to get them out of Ukraine," Kidsave CEO Randi Thompson told Fox News.
The group of volunteers, which has grown tremendously in the past few days, started driving them to the bordering countries, such as Poland and Slovakia, as fast as they could.
It's no small task, Thompson explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kidsave bringing foster families to safety. (Kidsave)
"Our people are traveling on these little roads, and they're going by the cover of night so that they're less conspicuous," Thompson said.
On top of that, they have to pile the children and families in relatively small vehicles in order to keep them safe.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We're just trying to get them not huge busses because they have to keep a fairly low profile and they've got to be nimble," Thompson said. "If they get under attack, those big vehicles are harder to kind of keep under the radar."
This means more trips and more sleepless nights for the already exhausted volunteers, but it hasn't deterred them in the slightest.
Kidsave bringing foster families to safety. (Kidsave)
"We're like the little engine that could," Thompson said. "What they're doing right now is they're picking them up, they're taking them to the border, they're turning around … and picking up more kids."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the past few days, it has "become a more efficient operation" with an increasing amount of volunteers joining the effort.
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"Our people are really tired," she said. "But now that there are more volunteers, they're starting to do sleep shifts and things like that to be able to actually help not just fall apart."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now, the focus is trying to pick up as many vehicles as they can.
"We're trying to get them money as quickly as we can to be able to buy or rent the vehicles," Thompson added.
Kidsave bringing foster families to safety. (Kidsave)
Thompson said it's been difficult due to increasing prices of renting cars and fuel, "but we're trying to do this as long as we can."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The goal, she said, is to eventually bring these children and families back to Ukraine when things are safe.
"These people all want to go back to Ukraine," she said. "Nobody's looking to leave Ukraine."