The First Lady of Ukraine, together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation and British philanthropist Lord Ashcroft, visited Borodyanka.
Soon, thanks to the Foundation's initiative, construction will begin there on a new Children's Creative and Sports Center, which was destroyed by a direct airstrike from the Russian occupiers at the start of the full-scale invasion. It housed dozens of clubs and sections attended by more than 2,000 children.
Currently, the entire teaching staff of the Center (52 educators) continues working with children in general secondary education institutions of the community. More than 30 clubs of the Center operate in various educational institutions, engaging 1,250 students.
“Lord Ashcroft has become one of the partners, and we are grateful to him for his incredible support and his understanding of the importance of implementing such projects. This is not just reconstruction – it is an investment in the future of our children,” Olena Zelenska said.
The technical specifications for the new Center were developed by the team of the Foundation in collaboration with the teaching staff. The new Center will be safe and barrier-free, with a variety of clubs and sections where children will be engaged in various sports: football, volleyball, and basketball, as well as choreography, aircraft modeling, robotics, and other activities.
"I am hugely grateful to the First Lady of Ukraine that, during these difficult times for Ukraine, she invited me to Borodyanka. She showed me the progress of the Children's Creative And Sports Center and explained what this project will achieve for this town that was bombed so brutally by the Russian invaders three years ago," Lord Michael Ashcroft noted.
The collaboration between the Olena Zelenska Foundation and philanthropist Lord Ashcroft began a year ago in London. He supports projects aimed at helping Ukrainian children in times of war.
"This is already the second initiative of the Foundation supported by Lord Ashcroft. For example, with his financial support, we have already modernized the Bacteriology Laboratory at the Children's Medical Center in Lviv. Today, it provides high-quality diagnostics for children from all over Ukraine, including those with serious illnesses," the Director of the Foundation, Nina Horbachova, added.
Overall, the Foundation has already brought in three foreign partners to help rebuild the Children's Creative and Sports Center in Borodyanka. Alongside Lord Ashcroft (Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC), the Temerty Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation have also become donors to the project.
Construction is scheduled to begin this March.