“Olena Zelenskaya, the first lady of Ukraine, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom David Lammi.”, – WRITE: www.president.gov.ua
Olena Zelenskaya, the first lady of Ukraine, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom David Lammi.
The president’s wife noted that the United Kingdom is a strategic ally of Ukraine.
“This year, the Hundred -year Partnership Agreement between our countries is a historic step and more than just a document. It is a symbol of adamant friendship and a common vision of the future, ”she said.
The main topic of the meeting is to discuss the launch and promotion of campaign for the development of family forms of education in Ukraine.
On January 17, 2025, David Lamma launched a new global initiative to reform the children’s care system aimed at ensuring that each child the right to a safe and loving family environment, the gradual cessation of institutionalization and guarantee that no child would remain unattended.
“Unfortunately, there is still a Soviet inheritance in Ukraine in the form of a large network of boarding schools and kindergartens. They live more than 26 thousand children. But only 19 % of them are orphans or deprived of parental care. More than 80 % are living and not limited in parents’ rights. An obstacle to families reunification – either unwillingness or inability to grow a child, such as the lack of inclusive services in the communities, ”said Elena Zelenskaya.
She stressed that the support of foster families is one of the priorities of the Foundation of Elena Zelenskaya. In particular, within the framework of the “childhood address” project, 15 houses for such families who have lost their home because of the war have already been erected. The Foundation also provided humanitarian assistance to every second large foster family, that is, more than 500 families, and organized a summer holiday for more than 3,000 children.
The first lady introduced David Lammi to two large foster families – Yaroslavsev from Zaporizhzhya region raising 10 children, and Uman from Kherson region, who have 10 children. Both families were forced to leave the house through Russian occupation.
Elena Zelenskaya noted that her Foundation provided new housing, in particular, these two families.
The president’s wife is convinced that effective state and partnership support for family forms of education will help to fully overcome orphanage and boarding schools as phenomena.
“The reform coordination center, together with the government and partners, focused on the support of families to avoid their separation from the child. The second goal is to find children who are left without the warmth of their relatives, caring foster families, ”the first lady summed up.
