Podcast premiere: ‘Family is the basis of every child’s safety’ now on our YouTube channel

During the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, held on 12 September 2024 in Kyiv, the Olena Zelenska Foundation recorded a podcast dedicated to the safety of children in the family environment and the impact of boarding schools on a child’s future. As after after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many Ukrainian children lost their parents, the issue of adoption is quite important and relevant today as never before.

Participants included:

• Nina Gorbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, whose work areas include the care of large foster families;
• Kyrylo Nevdokha – an orphanage graduate, a mentor for children from institutions, and the Head of the National Office of Children and Youth ‘DIYMO’;
• Ivan Umanskyi – a foster father of a large foster family from Kakhovka, who lost their home due to the war but got a new one thanks to the Olena Zelenska Foundation project;
• Timur Miroshnychenko – a host and father of two adopted children.

During the podcast, the participants talked about different forms of family upbringing, as well as the role of family in children’s security and socialisation. The speakers also addressed the issue of raising children without parental care.

According to Nina Gorbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, ‘being there for the child’ could be the main takeaway for adults today. ‘Because a child needs a family. And family is a protection,’ – said Mrs Gorbachova.

At the same time, Timur Miroshnychenko, a father of two adopted children, emphasised that the result is ‘really the greatest value and the greatest happiness’ and shared his dream that one day all Ukrainian children from boarding schools will find their families.  

The podcast was created within the framework of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen together with the Olena Zelenska Foundation, with the support of UNICEF Ukraine and the NGO Cultural Platform Zakarpattya as part of the KONTENTA audiovisual studios project.

You can watch the podcast on the official YouTube channel of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform via the provided link.