During the full-scale aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine, the needs of family-type orphanages (FTO) did not disappear. “Global 2000 for Children of Ukraine” Charitable Fund, together with the Charity Fund “Volunteers: Adults to Children” helps families raising children from boarding schools.
“We understand the importance of supporting family-type orphanages during the war. Children who are left without parents need someone to raise them. Every child needs a family. Family-type orphanages are exactly that educational resource, parental potential, that has the opportunity to provide a child with a family. This is much better than residential institutions, where 100 children grow up at the same time. “Family-type orphanages, on the other hand, raise a maximum of 10, and sometimes 5-6,” said Viktoria Tyshchenko, president of the “Volunteers: Adults to Children” Fund.
According to her, today’s FTO has many material needs, ranging from furniture and household appliances to clothes and gadgets, but they are not limited to those.
“Imagine there is a family with seven children, and they are adopting three more. What do they face first? They need psychological support as well as assistance with social adaptation. Among the many other problems faced by FTOs, there is, for example, this one: seven children already have tablets, laptops, or phones, but where can they get three more? This is a very large amount. Providing tablets right away is important because children study online at this point in time. Many people do not consider phones as a first priority need. It is easy to say if the child is 7-8 years old. If he or she is 13 or 14 though, and came from a boarding school where children are equipped with gadgets, how will it feel in the background of other children? That’s why they need a device,” Victoria is sure.
The child must also be provided with a bed, a wardrobe or dresser, bed linen, towels, and clothes.
“This is important, because the child has nothing of his own in the boarding school. Children up to 9 years of age normally appreciate even used things, but older children no longer want to wear them. It is better if you go and buy with your child, so that he or she chooses the color and style. Every child has his/her own preferences,” emphasizes the president of the Charitable Fund.
Victoria says “Take it and be grateful!” is the wrong approach. “Children who did not have the right to choose in boarding school are sent to FTOs under different conditions. It is important that children get exactly what they need. It is important to give them what they dream of.”
“The sponsors brought 75 identical purple shirts. The children had to wear 75 pieces of clothing of the same style and color. This happens quite often, especially when sewing workshops give away something that they usually sew for mainstream production. What if the child wants a pajama that is different from others—a onesie, for example?” said Victoria.
She also called attention to the fact that FTOs do not immediately receive payments for children; there is a wait time between the placement of a child in a family and receiving assistance from the state.
“I do not agree with the statement that our FTOs are provided with everything by the state. Many funds say so. On average, FTOs with 10 children receive 100,000 UAH, which seems like a large amount, but let’s divide 100 by 10, and there is also a mother and a father. The mother cannot work with so many children in her custody. The father usually works, but not always. In fact, the sums that FTOs receive are far from excessive. There is enough to buy food, the basics, and pay for utilities. We have visited many FTOs and found that not all families can cope with the daily financial burden,” she says.
Since the beginning of 2023, the “Global 2000 for Children of Ukraine” Fund has helped FTOs with food, handed over 15 tablets, a generator, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a freezer, a stove, as well as a printer, a copier, and a scanner.
The charitable fund “Volunteers: Adults to Children” has been working for 12 years, helping families with children, including family-type orphanages, in the Kharkiv region. According to Victoria Tyshchenko, there are 70 such orphanages in the Kharkiv region.