Article
“You’ll always be with us”
Yulia and Yurko always wanted to have a big family. Recently, after struggling to have biological children, they decided to adopt. Now, living with their three adopted children at home in Lviv, their happiness is complete at last. “Our children are called Artur, Mykyta and Bohdan,” says Yulia, with a smile. “They ...
Article
Foster families step-in to help protect the most vulnerable children in Ukraine
Since July 2023, the couple have been caring for three children – eight-year-old Matvii, seven-year-old Denys and three-year-old Sonia. All three have special educational needs. Taking on this challenging role was particularly daunting over the last few harsh winter months, especially since attacks on energy infr...
Article
Support helps foster families in Kharkiv region brave winter
Over the past four years, 18 youngsters have found love and care as part of Liudmyla’s foster family in Malynivka, in the Kharkiv region. Currently, five children have found a home here – siblings Sasha, Misha and Mariana, Maria and baby Lidia. Winter can be a challenge for this family. Their biggest need has been...
Article
Early childhood intervention teams support children with disabilities
Little Bohdanka from Ukraine’s Volyn region is only two years old, but she has already faced a multitude of challenges in her young life. From birth, she had serious health problems. Then, just months after the outbreak of the full-scale war, she was removed from her family along with her brothers and sister due t...
Document
A package of services to ensure the child's right to grow up in a family environment within the framework of the reform of the child care and support system
This publication provides a general description and links to useful resources regarding services that are included in the package of services to ensure the child's right to grow up in a family environment within the framework of the reform of the child care and support system.
Press release
Paddington Bear comes to Ukraine to support family-based care for every child
KYIV, 24 December 2024, — Beloved children’s character Paddington Bear arrived in Ukraine today to join the “Ukraine for Every Child” campaign of the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development. The campaign is a key initiative supported by UNICEF as part of the Better Care reform agenda. ...
Article
Fostering helps children in Kharkiv find loving homes
Even the ongoing war in Ukraine could not deter Svitlana and Andriy from setting up a family-type children's home and fostering 12 children. “We have only one [biological] child – our daughter Anna, who is now 26 years old,” explains Svitlana, who lives in the Kharkiv region. “When Anna was 15, she said she wanted...
Statement
UNICEF welcomes adoption of new strategy to realize family-based care for every child
KYIV, 26 November 2024 – Children's right to grow up in a family environment took an important step forward today with the Government of Ukraine approving a four-year strategy and related action plan to prioritize family-based care in line with global best practices. The ‘Strategy for Ensuring the Right of Every ...
Article
Foster carers in Ukraine help shape a more hopeful tomorrow
A few years ago, Maria Podiakunyk became the first foster carer in Svaliava. Before that, she had worked for 30 years in a children’s home, where she saw how difficult life was for the young residents, who longed for a family of their own. Today, Maria and her husband Reverend Petro are well-known in the small town of Svaliava. Locals often call…, “We need to help them now”, Currently, Maria is looking after two baby boys – nine-month-old Lyubomy...
Article
Foster family find respite this winter, thanks to UNICEF and partners
If this family cooks borscht, they use a 15 litre pot. If they put together a jigsaw puzzle, it has thousands of pieces. If they take a family photo, everyone must pile in – Kateryna and Oleksandr, their nine foster children and their pets. “We do everything together,” says 37-year-old Kateryna from Ukraine’s Sumy...
Article
After fleeing war, Ukrainian children in alternative care build their lives over again
At the age of 53, Halyna has faced numerous hurdles in her lifetime, but her love for children has never faltered. Until May 2024, she called Zolochiv, a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, home. Now, she is rebuilding her life in a new city with six children – five of whom she fosters. Halyna first became a foster mother in 2011, when she…, “It was terrifying to abandon our home”, In early May 2024, the Kharkiv Regional State Administration an...
Article
UNICEF and social services build better lives for children in Ukraine
For years, 17-year-old Diana and her two sisters lived and studied at a boarding school in central Ukraine, due to difficulties at home. Money was tight – their mother, Alyona, struggled to find a permanent job, taking on any small part-time work to support her children, who all have special educational needs. The...