The First Lady of Ukraine, together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, visited four renovated and newly equipped shelters in schools and kindergartens of the Chernihiv region, as well as the School of Superheroes.
In total, thanks to the Foundation’s support, ten shelters are already operating in the region. Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Chernihiv region has been under heavy shelling, and some communities endured Russian occupation in 2022.
“During the war, shelters are not a choice but the only possibility for in-person learning and development. Today, when the sound of a siren often replaces the school bell, children have the right to remain students, not just witnesses of war. Every safe and well-equipped space gives them a chance to study, develop, communicate with friends, and feel a sense of normal life,” the President’s wife emphasized.
The Olena Zelenska Foundation restores and equips shelters within its focus area of ensuring children’s access to education and development. The shelters are designed with areas for learning, rest, and play. They are fully accessible: entrances are fitted with mechanisms for wheelchair access. In kindergartens, separate rooms with beds for rest are arranged.
“Every renovated shelter in frontline regions is a guarantee that the school year can take place in safe conditions. It is thanks to our partners that we equip shelters where children need them the most,” stressed Nina Horbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
In total, 30 shelters are now functioning across Ukraine, with their restoration and renovation funded by the Foundation. They are used by 13,000 children in the Poltava, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions. The four shelters visited in the Chernihiv region were renovated and equipped with the support of the Government of the Åland Islands, the Latvian foundation Ziedot.lv, and Bosch Group.
The visit was also joined by representatives of the diplomatic corps: Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Ukraine Andrejs Pildegovičs; Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Finland in Ukraine, Deputy Head of Mission Merja Lahtinen; and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Portugal in Ukraine, Deputy Head of Mission Pedro Forbes Lemos.
In addition, the First Lady visited the School of Superheroes in Chernihiv, which has been fully operational since yesterday. Its creation was funded by the Olena Zelenska Foundation with the support of the Camões Institute of Portugal. The educational space operates on the premises of the regional children’s hospital. Over the past year, while renovations were underway, lessons were held here for around 400 children. The center now has three classrooms – for primary, middle, and high school students – as well as a mental health room and a separate area for preschool activities.