One of the families, whose house was destroyed by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, will now have a new home. Olena Zelenska's Foundation has initiated a project to build homes for war-affected foster families.
The plot in the village of Korotych, Kharkiv region, is one of the first sites chosen by the Foundation and local authorities for house construction. The founder of the Foundation, the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, the director of the Foundation Nina Horbachova and the Head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleh Synehubov have inspected the future home location.
The community-provided plot is located 16 kilometers from the regional center and has a well-developed local infrastructure, providing all the necessary amenities for comfortable living and children's education. Nearby, there are schools, kindergartens, shops, and public transportation stops.
“The houses that we will be constructing for foster families are standard and spacious. Their area will be 285.5 square meters. They will be fully furnished, inclusive, and equipped with amenities such as thermal insulation and an independent energy system. The houses will also have a shelter," said the Foundation's director, Nina Horbachova.
The future residents of the house — are the Drylchuk family, who are raising eight children. They are an internally displaced family from the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region, who lost their home due to the full-scale war.
The "Address of Childhood" project by Olena Zelenska's Foundation is being implemented in collaboration with international investors and the government.
The United Arab Emirates became the first donors to the housing construction project for war-affected foster families. Their charitable contribution of $4 million will be enough to build at least ten standard houses in different regions of Ukraine. Estonia has also expressed readiness to build two houses.
Currently, there are more than 40 foster families, with nearly 500 children in total, awaiting benefactors for house construction. Therefore, Olena Zelenska's Foundation continues to seek partners and attract donors to provide new homes for all war-affected foster families.
Negotiations are currently underway with Australia, Slovenia, and Finland regarding construction projects.