The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, together with the First Lady of Estonia, Sirje Karis, visited the Zhytomyr region and met with large foster families.
The wives of the presidents visited the large foster family of Olha Listunova and Volodymyr Ivanov, who, in addition to their two biological children, are raising seven orphaned children and children deprived of parental care. Due to the Russian invasion, the family was forced to leave their home in the Sumy region. They now have a new home – a house built with the support of the Estonian Government and the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). This became possible thanks to the scaling of the Olena Zelenska Foundation's “Room for Childhood” project by Estonian partners.
Estonia was the first to join the Foundation’s project in 2023. Last year, as part of this cooperation, the first house was built for the Melnyk family from the Donetsk region.
“Our Estonian friends were so deeply concerned about the fate and needs of Ukrainian foster families that they decided to build four more houses for such families in the Zhytomyr region. The Foundation’s team found these families, as well as land plots for construction,” shared Olena Zelenska.
The First Ladies also met with all five large foster families.
Olena Zelenska expressed her gratitude to Estonia for its significant assistance and for being the first to join the reconstruction of an entire Ukrainian region – the Zhytomyr region – back in 2022. This includes not only housing but also infrastructure, education, and social sector facilities.
The wife of the President of Ukraine expressed her hopes for further cooperation between the two countries, while her personal interaction with Sirje Karis will continue through new joint projects under the framework of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.