The Batiuk Family, Cherkasy region

“Today we have ten children: three biological and seven foster children. Overall, we have raised fourteen — four are already adults, building their own families,” Yana says.

She recalls that her dream of a big family started in childhood.

“I always knew I would have many children. It may sound funny, but as a child I would arrange dolls and say they were all my kids. At school, I wrote that I wanted to adopt five children and have a big house and a big dog.”

Yana was 21 when she and her first husband welcomed their first child.

“I never searched for children on purpose. I just believed: if a child is meant to be in our family, they will find their way to us.”

The family originally came from Makiivka. After its occupation in 2014, they moved to Bilozerske. In 2022, they had to flee again.

“On March 10, a mandatory evacuation was announced. We packed our things at the last moment and left. We went to Portugal, but it was very difficult. People didn’t understand what a family-type children’s home is. We faced many challenges and decided to return to Ukraine.”

Back in Ukraine, with the help of volunteers, they arrived in Cherkasy.

“We saw a message about an abandoned kindergarten offering rooms for displaced families. No one wanted to take us because we are many — and I was pregnant.”

Eventually, the call came that changed everything.

“They said: have you heard about the ‘Childhood Address’ project? We chose your family — we want to build you a house.”

Construction began, and the family visited the site regularly, documenting every stage — from bare land to foundation to walls.

In June 2024, the Batiuk family became one of the first to receive a new home through the project.

“We had lived here for six months before it truly felt like home. When we celebrated our first New Year here, decorated the tree — that’s when I felt it. The smell of home.”

New traditions появились in the house.

“Every evening we set a big table and have dinner together. The children help set the table, I usually cook. I love borscht — so we have it every other day. We sit together, the kids laugh.”

New opportunities followed.

“In summer we grill sausages in the yard, we planted a garden, fruit trees. It’s happiness. You go outside, pick a cucumber, a tomato — we even grew watermelons last year. It’s real happiness.”

Yana and her husband Viktor have little free time — raising children requires constant care and attention: school, kindergarten, extracurricular activities.

“I can’t imagine another life. If there were fewer children, I would be bored. We need this energy. This is the life we chose. For me, it’s happiness.”

In total, the Olena Zelenska Foundation has built 19 homes for large foster families. And the entire team hopes these houses become more than walls — but safe, warm places where children can grow up happy.