David Beckham is attempting to raise awareness and funds for expectant moms in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s mass-destruction invasion. To do so, he handed his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor. The account will now focus on the challenges experienced by medical experts in Ukraine.
“Hi everyone, so I’m handing over my social media to Iryna. The Head of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine where she is helping pregnant mothers give birth safely,” he said in a video on Instagram.
While posting the video, Beckham in the caption wrote, “Today I’m handing over my social channels to Iryna, the Head of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine where she is helping mothers give birth.”
“Head over to my stories to learn more about the amazing work Iryna and health workers like her are doing to save lives in Ukraine. Please give what you can to support @UNICEF and people like Iryna using the donation link in my bio,” he added.
WHO has reported nearly 30 strikes on healthcare institutions
Iryna is a pediatric anesthesiologist and the director of Kharkiv’s regional perinatal facility. She gave a moving first-person description of her daily life in Ukraine’s second-largest city; which was an early target in Moscow’s assault and has been decimated by missile attacks, throughout the day. Videos show her making rounds in a dimly lit basement. The new mothers cuddle their kids on makeshift hospital beds that are up in the small space’s walls.
“On the first day of the war, all pregnant women and mothers were evacuated to the basement. … We had to learn how to work with bombings and strikes,” she said. “Unfortunately, we can’t take babies who are in intensive care to the basement; because they rely on lifesaving equipment,” she added.
Since the beginning of Russia’s attacks, the World Health Organization has reported more than 30 strikes on healthcare institutions or equipment. It also includes an airstrike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol’s port city. However, in the aftermath of the incident, a mother and her child have lost their lives in appalling conditions. According to the regional administration, certainly about half of Kharkiv’s population, or 700,000 people, have fled the city; part of a larger exodus that has seen over 3 million people escape Ukraine. Moreover, children make up around half of the refugees.