“In Odesa, the First Lady of Ukraine together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation opened a shelter, which was completely restored and equipped by the Foundation. This year, the Foundation plans to scale up the shelter restoration project. Two more facilities will soon be operational in Odesa and five in Mykolaiv and Dnipro regions.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
In Odesa, the First Lady of Ukraine together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation opened a shelter, which was completely restored and equipped by the Foundation. It can accommodate almost 500 children.
For the Foundation, this is the first shelter opened on the territory of a kindergarten. It has dedicated areas for study and leisure, as well as a separate room with beds. Next to this kindergarten is a supporting lyceum, whose students will also be able to use this barrier-free shelter.
On the first day of school after the holidays, the Foundation organized a career guidance workshop in the updated shelter for students of grades 9-11, having financed the training from the “Klub Dobrodiyiv” charity fund. During the “Decipher your success code” workshop, teenagers revealed their creative potential and chose their future profession.
“Despite the war and the need to constantly escape from rocket fire in shelters, our children continue to dream, learn about themselves and actively seek ways of self-realization. This is incredibly inspiring, gives hope and only confirms the strength of our resilience,” the President’s wife said.
This year, the Foundation plans to scale up the shelter restoration project. Two more facilities will soon be operational in Odesa and five in Mykolaiv and Dnipro regions. Work will also begin on the arrangement of shelters, for which the government of the Åland Islands has allocated 3 million euros.
In addition, the first lady together with the team of the Foundation visited the new branch of the School of Superheroes. He worked full-time at the Odesa Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital. The creation of the cell was fully financed by the Elena Zelenska Foundation.
At the invitation of the President’s wife, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who arrived in Ukraine on his sixth visit since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, also visited the educational space. The first lady talked about how the cells of the State Institution “School of Superheroes” work and why they are so important.
“During the war, we grew from five educational centers to 17 full-fledged educational spaces, equipped according to the highest standards, with a department for preschool education, an office of a practical psychologist. And this is a great work of the team, partners, friends of the School of Superheroes. We are grateful to the First Lady and the Foundation for sharing our values and understanding the importance of education for young hospital patients,” said at. director of the “School of Superheroes” State University Nataliya Zhilinska.
The School of Superheroes has separate classrooms for preschoolers, junior and senior students, its own methodologist and a team of teachers who teach more than 10 subjects. There is also a child psychologist’s office where young patients can find the necessary support.
The Foundation’s partner, Good Steward Inc., a philanthropist from South Korea, became a donor for the creation of the School of Superheroes in Odesa. FEBC-Korea.
“The Odesa School of Superheroes is one of the six schools whose creation was financed by the Foundation in 2024. And we will continue to scale this project. Our plans for 2025 are to open at least six more such educational centers in other cities,” said the director of the Elena Zelenska Foundation, Nina Horbachova.
This year, Schools of Superheroes will operate in Chernihiv, Cherkassy, Lutsk, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, and Mukachevo. The Foundation is also planning to restore the cell in “Okhmatdyt”.
In addition, the Foundation team and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees visited a family from the Kherson region – one of three that received a new home within the framework of the subvention program for the purchase of housing for large adoptive families that lost their own home due to Russian aggression.
This family received humanitarian aid in the form of necessary household appliances from the Foundation and UNHCR.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to visit this family with the First Lady and her Foundation to see firsthand how together we are helping displaced extended foster families and truly making a difference in their lives and the lives of the children in their care . This is a testament to our shared desire to support the families of displaced and war-affected people, provide them with the necessary assistance and support them on the road to recovery during this terrible war,” said Filippo Grandi.
Large adoptive families in Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Ternopil and other regions have already received similar assistance from UNHCR, the Foundation’s partner. Among them are not only those who have purchased housing under state subvention, but also those who are cared for by the Foundation within the scope of its projects.
In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Foundation has provided humanitarian assistance to one in two large foster families in Ukraine.
This year, the Foundation will also continue the implementation of the “Childhood Address” project. 15 large foster families have already received new homes, and there are plans to build at least 10 more homes.
