"From a House to a Home": Olena Zelenska Foundation and UNICEF Launch a Joint Initiative to Improve Living Conditions for Children in Large Foster Families

The Olena Zelenska Foundation, in partnership with UNICEF, is launching the joint initiative "From a House to a Home" for large foster families (family-type children's homes). The initiative aims to improve living conditions for children and create a nurturing environment for their development despite the challenges posed by the war.

The Ministry of Social Policy is allocating a subvention from the state budget to local budgets for the purchase of housing for large foster families. Last year, 57 such families received homes, and this year, the subvention has been allocated for housing for over 120 families – both newly established and those forced to leave their homes due to the war.

To ensure that the acquired housing becomes a cozy home, it is essential to equip it with everything necessary to meet the basic needs and ensure a dignified life for the children. This is precisely what the "From a House to a Home" initiative entails.

"For us, it is important not just to provide children with a roof over their heads but to create an environment where they feel the warmth of family, safety, and opportunities to grow. The Olena Zelenska Foundation supports large foster families by providing humanitarian aid and actively promoting family-based care in Ukraine. The 'From a House to a Home' initiative is a crucial step in supporting large foster families and a continuation of our work in this direction," emphasizes Nina Horbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation.

"Ensuring every child's right to grow up in a caring family is a systemic and large-scale effort. And the war only amplifies the challenges. To achieve results, we must unite our efforts and jointly seek solutions. 'From a House to a Home' is a collaboration that improves conditions for raising children. We are grateful to the Olena Zelenska Foundation, UNICEF, and all partners for such support," says Iryna Postolovska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy for European Integration.

Under the initiative, families will receive furniture and necessary equipment in the coming months, as well as social support and psychological assistance, enabling children to adapt to their new conditions as quickly as possible and feel at home.

Families will be able to identify their priority needs based on individual assessments conducted in collaboration with partner organizations.

"Love, family care, and a real home are the foundation of a child's well-being, giving them the best start in life," says Shamiza Abdulla, Acting Head of UNICEF's Office in Ukraine. "UNICEF strives to create conditions where these families not only receive safe homes but also all the necessary support so that children raised in these families feel protected and cared for."

Comfortable and well-equipped housing for a large foster family provides an opportunity for 5-10 children without parental care – including sibling groups – to live in a family-like environment.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Social Policy recently improved the procedure for establishing large foster families: now, owning a sufficiently spacious home is no longer a prerequisite for creating such a family. The decision to establish a family-type children's home can be made simultaneously with the decision to provide housing.

By 2029, the Ministry plans to allocate over 10 billion hryvnias for housing for more than 700 large foster families.

The initiative was presented during an online meeting attended by Iryna Postolovska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy for European Integration; Nina Horbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation; Shamiza Abdulla, Acting Head of UNICEF's Office in Ukraine; deputy heads of regional administrations; heads of child services; and UNICEF implementation partners.

The "From a House to a Home" initiative is implemented in support of the state program and with the participation of numerous partners and civil society organizations, including:

- NGO "Partnership 'For Every Child'"

- CSO "Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights"

- NGO "League of Social Workers of Ukraine"

- NGO "Responsible Citizens"

- Charitable Foundation "Ridni"

- International Charitable Foundation "Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health"

- SOS Children's Villages Ukraine

- NGO "Volunteers: Adults for Children"

- Caritas-Spes Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine

- NGO "Social Synergy"

The implementation of the initiative was made possible through close cooperation with the Government of Poland and the support of other international partners.