Foundation families
The stories of the families that the Foundation takes care of
Those for whom we work
Our beneficiaries are orphans, children deprived of parental care living in families and family forms of upbringing and children from families in financial difficulties.
Tatyana and Anna Gunich are sisters, 15 & 9 yrs old
They are being cared by their grandparents, their mother left them, and their fathers are unknown. Tatyana had a stroke, and has trouble moving. Anna has speech issues, which can be cured with consistent treatments and therapy. Both girls attend dancing classes. Their house was damaged by artillery shelling. They need money for repairs and medication.
Ivan Skintey is 16
He had a botched surgery due to the inguinal hernia, which left him practically unable to walk. He is on the waiting list for an urological surgery, and 11th spine surgery. But the procedures were postponed due to the war. His mother abandoned him at birth; he is being raised by the relatives. He enjoys playing xylophone and video games; he also paints. He needs money for the surgeries, diapers and orthopedic shoes.
Slava Golubenko is 15
He mother literally threw him in a dumpster after birth. He is raised by his grandmother Katherina. Slava is generally healthy, but his grandmother has serious heart problems, and doesn’t get out of bed. So, he cares for her full-time. Slava is aspiring to be a boxer. Due to the war, and rising medical expenses he is unable to pay for the boxing lessons and athletic attire.
Leon Zakharenko is 12
He lives with his grandmother. He was abandoned by his mother, who suffers from drug abuse. Leon ended up in the middle of the war zone from Feb 27 to March 25 in his village 70mi north-east of Kiev. For almost a month he lived in a crawl-space in his neighbor’s house, while the village was constantly shelled by artillery fire, and the tanks rolled through his backyard. The Russian soldiers confiscated his phone, while pointed a gun to his face. Once a “green corridor” was established, he was able to leave with his grandmother, and went to the western Ukraine to live with the distant family. Leon’s house is badly damaged. But he dreams about coming back, and fixing it with his grandmother.
Ilya Magdenko is 15
He lives with Tatyana, who adapted him out of the orphanage when he was 10. He has serious orthodontics issues, but Tatyana can’t afford it, as she is just making a minimum wage.
Oleksandr Leonenko is 15
His mother drowned and the father died from cancer. He lives with his foster grandmother Vera, who is retired. Oleksandr spends a lot of time in the local animal shelter caring for animals and likes to paint. The family’s house HVAC broke and needs to be replaced, but Vera can’t afford it.
Mark and Ul’yana Goroviy are 3 and 1 year old siblings
Their mother abandoned them and they were adopted by Zinaida and Valery, who are retired. Their house was in the active war zone east of Kyiv in February-March, but they were able to escape to the western Ukraine. They returned home in May, but are having a hard time raising the kids, as the economic situation has worsened significantly.
Oxana, Lilia, Vladislav and Kristina are 14, 9, 7 and 5 year old siblings
Their mother died of cancer and the father died from stroke. In 2020 they were adapted by their grandmother Galina in the village in the eastern Ukraine. The kids like to paint, saw, read and just play outside with their friends. Fortunately, none of them has serious medical issues, but surviving under the war and rising costs is hard.
Daria, Lyubov, Anastasia, Volodimir, and Anna are 17, 13, 12, 11, and 8 year old siblings
Their parents died in a car crash in 2020, and they are being raised by Natalia in the small town in the Poltava region. The kids like to read, sew, paint, and play sports. They are generally healthy, but can’t attend sports clubs or the painting school, as the money is tight. The house they live in is in bad shape – the roof is leaking, but Natalia has no money to fix it.
