How to build children's home based on principle of social entrepreneurship

As of the beginning of 2023, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, 93,000 children live in Ukrainian orphanages and boarding schools, of whom 5,800 are orphans or children deprived of parental care. The rest have parents who are temporarily unable to fulfill their responsibilities.

For in-depth analysis and longer stories, follow us on LinkedIn

In February 2022, there were 1340 children's homes in Ukraine. The reform of the system of orphanages and boarding schools began in 2017. It was planned that by 2026 there would be no such institutions in the country in their current form. Some were to be re-profiled into specialized service centers or educational institutions. Private children's homes are nearby, but they are few.

Oleksandr Ryabchun, founder of the 450 Group development company, was building a children's home in Kyiv Oblast. But the full-scale invasion and occupation temporarily suspended his plans.

The idea was to gather 300 people who would donate $25 monthly for the construction and subsequently for the maintenance of the children. In early 2024, the entrepreneur announced the resumption of his initiative.

"In 2012, we started going to children's homes with help and gifts. We felt that there was no atmosphere of love for children there. Around 2014, I found out about a private orphanage in Onufriivka, Kirovohrad Oblast. The children's home was supported only by a foreign organization and residents. Children without the status of an orphan or a child deprived of parental care live there. The parents of these children, for example, may be undergoing rehabilitation. Several times we organized a trip for the older children from this orphanage to Kyiv. The children liked everything, I saw their desire to develop," says Ryabchun.

Then his family set a goal to build a children's home in the Kyiv Oblast. Ryabchun managed to get a plot of land in Motyzhyn, Kyiv Oblast, through a business partner's debt. He chose the concept of Urban Space 100 and Urban Space 500, which were created with non-refundable contributions from co-owners, as an example of building a children's home.

According to him, it is not difficult to build a building for an orphanage, but it needs to be maintained. According to estimates, $7500 per month is enough to build a building for a year and a half and continue to provide for children. This amount includes salaries for employees, food, clothing, and other necessities for children, education, entertainment, etc.

"The idea is to find 300 people who will donate $25 a month. They can be, for example, families or companies. The total donations can be larger, but not more than $250, because if such an investor stops helping, it will be difficult to cover these amounts with our own funds," explains Ryabchun.

In 2021, his idea gathered about 120 benefactors, including 80-90 regular donors. There was not enough money, and the family covered some of the needs with their own resources.

The initiators of the children's home want each donor to come to the children and talk about his or her profession and its characteristics. In addition, the orphanage will provide sports, foreign language learning, financial literacy, and other life skills. It is planned that the children will live in the home until they are 17-18 years old, but the team will support them during their studies.

"We are currently working on registering the children's home as a child care center. Children can stay in such homes at the request of their parents or even the child, but in any case, the social service must be informed that the child lives here," said Ryabchun.

The day before the full-scale invasion began, construction work continued on the site. It was only in 2023 that Ryabchun's company began to resume business, and in early 2024 it was possible to continue construction.

"We have already found builders and started preparing the site to resume work. Next summer we plan to open the children's home in full," Ryabchun said.

According to the KSE Institute, Russian occupying forces have caused nearly $10.1 million in damage to the village of Motyzhyn, with residential buildings suffering the most.

The Russian army entered Motyzhyn on the third day of the full-scale invasion. For a month, the occupiers controlled the village and part of the highway leading to Kyiv. The village, which covers 4.4 square kilometers, was home to 2,600 residents before the full-scale war. The shelling in the village destroyed and damaged 527 buildings, 130 of which were completely or severely damaged. The greatest damage and destruction was caused to the housing stock. In Motyzhyn, 479 residential buildings and outbuildings were damaged.

The team is currently looking for donors who are willing to join the project, as not all of those who helped before the full-scale invasion are able to do so now.