"Sadly, too many Ukrainian children have had their homes, loving parents, and carefree childhoods stolen by war. That's why I'm deeply grateful for the efforts to build family-style group homes in Ukraine. These homes are where new stories begin, where hope is born, and where a better future for Ukraine can grow," said Sirje Karis. 

Karis also acknowledged the collaboration between the Olena Zelenska Foundation and the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV), "Thanks to their efforts, more homes are being built each year. Another house will be ready by Christmas, and a new foster family will soon have a beautiful new home."

"Our Estonian friends were so deeply concerned about the fate and needs of Ukrainian foster families that they decided to build four more houses for such families in the Zhytomyr region. The Foundation's team found these families, as well as land plots for construction," said Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska. 

The brand-new 212-square-meter house contains seven bedrooms and four bathrooms and will become a permanent home for Volodymyr Ivanov and Olha Listunova and their nine children: Ramila (16), Dmytro (16), Yasyn (15), Alim (13), Kyrylo (13), Yurii (9), Valeria (9), Kateryna (17) and Mykola (16).

Volodymyr, Olha and their children were displaced when Russia's full-scale invasion began. At first, the family left their home in Ukraine's Sumy region and moved to Estonia, where they lived in Kohtla-Järve, Ida-Viru County for around three months. After that, they returned to Ukraine and tried to move back to their home. However, constant shelling forced them to seek temporary housing elsewhere. 

Estonia has invested  €2.3 million to build three family-style small group homes and two mandatory bomb shelters for displaced foster families in the city of Zhytomyr. The initiative was led by ESTDEV and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

The first two houses were completed in January 2025. "The opening of the third house today stands as a testament to Estonia's promise and the enduring partnership with Ukraine. Tailored to address Ukrainian needs, these homes seamlessly blend Estonia's innovative design expertise with a deep commitment to creating spaces that foster healing, stability and hope for displaced families," said ESTDEV's executive director, Klen Jäärats.

Providing housing for large foster families is a collaborative effort between ESTDEV and the Olena Zelenska Foundation, as part of scaling up the "Room for Childhood" project. The foundation helped select land plots, identify foster families and manage the legal aspects of transferring homes to their new owners. ESTDEV managed the construction process of all houses, including sourcing architectural designs and selecting construction companies through Estonia's public procurement procedures.

ESTDEV was also one of the first partners to support the Foundation's initiative "Room for Childhood," which aims to ensure housing for large foster families who have lost their homes due to the war.  Estonia contributed  €376,000 to fund the construction of one house, which was completed in June 2024.

In addition to permanent housing, all foster parents living in the Estonian-built homes received training in Estonia on trauma-informed childcare. Ukrainian child protection and social welfare specialists also took part in study visits to Estonia, helping local governments advance their social welfare systems to align with European standards.

A new home and new hope for a Ukrainian foster family of 11 in Zhytomyr

A year after signing the contract, First Lady Sirje Karis & @ZelenskaUA opened a new Estonian-built home in Zhytomyr for a family who lost their home due to the war.

"Too many Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/pz5ufSTqwd

— ESTDEV #StandWithUkraine (@ESTDEVestonia) April 30, 2025

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