Shelters in Educational Institutions, Schools of Superheroes, Support for Family-Based Care, and Other Key Projects: Summary of the Olena Zelenska Foundation’s Work in 2025

In 2025, the Olena Zelenska Foundation focused on scaling programs and launching new initiatives aimed at ensuring access to education and development, supporting family-based care, and providing psychosocial support to adolescents and young people under wartime conditions.

One of the Foundation’s key focus areas is ensuring children’s access to education and creating safe learning environments. Over the year, 28 shelters were opened in educational institutions across Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions. In total, the Foundation has set up 31 shelters: 23 in schools and eight in kindergartens.

The Foundation continued to expand the network of School of Superheroes educational spaces for children undergoing long-term medical treatment. This year, six new centers were opened in children’s hospitals in Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Lutsk, Ternopil, Mukachevo, and Chernivtsi. In total, 23 Schools of Superheroes operate in Ukraine.

Ensuring children have the necessary devices for online learning, particularly in frontline regions, remains an important priority. With the support of partners, the Foundation provided approximately 4,000 devices to students.

In 2025, construction work began to restore the children’s creative and sports center in Borodyanka, which had been destroyed by Russian occupiers. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2026. The facility will be able to accommodate over 2,000 children.

The Foundation continues to support family-based care. Over the year, humanitarian assistance was provided to 137 large foster families, including through the initiative “From House to Home.” Since the start of its activities, the Foundation has supported over 600 families.

In 2025, the second phase of the “Room for Childhood” project began, providing for the construction of 22 houses for large foster families. Three families have already moved into their new homes in Kyiv, Poltava, and Dnipro regions, with 19 more houses under construction. In total, over the course of the project, the Foundation built 18 homes, covering almost all regions of Ukraine.

Significant attention is given to the psychosocial support of adolescents and young people. At the end of the year, the first youth spaces “12–21” were opened in Bila Tserkva and Khmelnytskyi. In those spaces, young people aged 12 to 21 will be able to safely communicate, relax, and develop. Visitors have access to the services of psychologists and social workers, consultations on education and professional development, leisure areas, interest-based clubs, and joint activities. Four more such spaces are planned to open in 2026.

This year, the Foundation also funded the summer sessions of the Voices Camps for over 220 children with war experience and supported the inclusive summer CosmoCamp for 100 young Ukrainians.

Traditionally, the end of the year includes support for children during the winter holidays. In 2025, the Foundation held for the second time the free interactive Christmas performance “Speaking Are Those Who Have Listened to Eternity” at the National Conservation Area “Saint Sophia of Kyiv.” The project was scaled up so that at least 8,000 children and adults could attend the festive event. With the support of partners, New Year gifts were provided to young Ukrainians in need of additional support, including children of servicemembers and those forced to leave their homes due to Russian aggression.

Another important area is support for medical and educational infrastructure. Emergency medical centers in Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, and other regions received 60 new ambulances. Additionally, the Foundation delivered 15 generators to medical and educational institutions in Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Dnipro regions.

“All these results have been made possible thanks to the support of our partners – international organizations, businesses, and donors who share our vision and consistently support Ukrainian children and families. It is precisely through this cooperation that the Foundation can scale existing programs and launch new initiatives that respond to the challenges of today,” concluded Olena Zelenska.