In the Mykolaiv region, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, together with the Foundation’s team, reviewed the implementation of projects aimed at creating a safe educational environment and supporting family-based forms of upbringing.
The President’s wife visited Veselynove Lyceum, which educates 937 students, including children with disabilities, and a kindergarten in Voznesensk attended by 100 children. There, the Foundation, with financial support from the Government of Serbia, equipped shelters. The spaces are adapted to the needs of children of different ages and follow the principles of accessibility.
The team also visited two large foster families in Novyi Buh who are already living in houses built under the Room for Childhood project.
These are the families of Oksana and Yevhen Kovalenko, who are raising five children deprived of parental care, as well as their biological son, and Tetiana and Valerii Honcharenko, who have five foster children and a biological daughter.
The houses in Novyi Buh are among ten being built by the Foundation with the support of Danish partners – A.P. Moller Relief Foundation.
“For children, it is extremely important to be able to study in person, to communicate with peers, and to grow up in a safe environment. It is equally important that every child has a family and a home. That is why the Foundation systematically works to create safe educational spaces and support family-based forms of upbringing,” Olena Zelenska said.
Across Ukraine, there are already 31 shelters equipped by the Olena Zelenska Foundation operating in educational institutions. In addition, under the Room for Childhood project, 21 large foster families across 11 regions of Ukraine have received their own homes.