The First Lady of Ukraine, together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, visited a large foster family in the Poltava region, for whom a new home was built this year, with the support of the Hilti Foundation, as part of the “Room for Childhood” project.
Olha and Oleksandr Checher’s family shared their story. They spoke about their life after moving in and showed what their new home looks like now.
“Every house we build within the ‘Room for Childhood’ project is not just about housing. It is primarily about the opportunity for children to grow up in a family, surrounded by those who support, protect, and love them. When you see a family that, after everything they’ve been through, once again has their own home, filled with children’s laughter and a sense of family warmth – you realize: this is what we strive for – for every child to have not a temporary shelter, but a true home where they are awaited, accepted, and cared for,” said the President’s wife.
“Room for Childhood” is a project of the Olena Zelenska Foundation aimed at building new homes for large foster families. Its goal is to provide them with comfortable housing while promoting family-based upbringing as an alternative to institutional care. Within the first wave of the project, the Foundation built 17 houses across eight regions of Ukraine.
Following the successful completion of the first wave, in May 2025, the Foundation announced the launch of the second wave – primarily for foster families ready to welcome more children into their care. The Foundation has already begun constructing the next 20 such homes with the support of international partners: ten funded by the United Arab Emirates and another ten made possible by a grant allocated by the Danish Business Authority through a donation from the A.P. Møller Relief Foundation.
Olena Zelenska and the Foundation team also visited the School of Superheroes in Poltava. The educational space, operating on the premises of a children’s hospital, ensures uninterrupted learning for children undergoing treatment.
“The School’s educational center in Poltava has been operating for almost a year – the first of its kind in the city. Every month, more than 100 children who are in hospital can continue their studies, keep developing despite illness, and experience positive emotions,” said Nataliia Zhilinska, Director of the State Institution “School of Superheroes.”
The establishment of the center was funded by the Olena Zelenska Foundation with the support of an international partner from South Korea: the charity Good Steward Inc. FEBC-Korea.