The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s philanthropic arm, the EIB Institute (EIBI), has donated €800,000 to support family-style orphanages in Ukraine. These orphanages are co-ordinated by the Olena Zelenska Foundation, a Ukrainian charitable organisation founded by the First Lady of Ukraine. 

The donation made in late December 2022 will help 2,082 children living in 280 family-style orphanages in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Sumy, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr oblasts. Many of these orphanages were evacuated from frontline areas. 

The EIBI donation aims to improve the living conditions of each child by purchasing heaters, generators and other household items, ranging from washing machines to IT equipment. So far, almost three dozen family-style orphanages in the Kyiv oblast have received generators, convectors, household appliances, gas stoves, bed linen, furniture, educational equipment and more.

“Today, as more and more people are left living in houses without windows, heat or light, and as Russia destroys Ukraine’s energy system day after day, it is crucial to talk to the children and their guardians to make sure they have exactly what they need, be it new appliances, equipment, new furniture or generators,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “Olena Zelenska and her foundation are channelling critical support to people in need in Ukraine, and we are honoured to be supporting these activities.”

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Press release