“Welcoming children into our family gives meaning to our lives and makes us stronger”.
Serhii and Olena became foster parents eleven years ago in their hometown in Kherson region. Today, they raise five children: boys Mykola, Nikita and Daniil, and girls Dasha and Nika.
In the early months of the war in 2022, their hometown in Kherson region was occupied. After two months of unbearable life under occupation, the family decided to leave for Kyiv where they arrived in late spring 2022. They quickly established contact with SOS Children’s Villages becoming one of the 37 relocated foster families that were directly supported by SOS Children’s Village Brovary at that time.
“We don’t want to change the world or perform heroic deeds by raising children in a foster family. Not at all. We simply love, care for and take care of our family day by day so that our children grow up to be good and decent people. This is our little world, and it’s our great responsibility,” says Serhii.
In June 2023, the couple learned that the flooding caused by the destruction of Kakhovka Dam had completely flooded and destroyed their family house. The hope that one day they could return to their family house was crushed. That is when they were offered to move into one of the family houses in SOS Children’s Village Brovary where they have lived since.
“We and our children really like it here in Brovary,” says Olena. “The SOS Children’s Village has everything for a happy and active life. We have a well-equipped house with a cosy area, surrounded by forest and clean air, a sports hall where our son Nikita is successfully developing his skills in boxing.”
The parents add that the years of online schooling affected the educational development of their children. “The quality of education is low,” says Serhii. “First the pandemic, then the war, left the children without the precious experience of proper school education and life. Our children restarted offline, in-person schooling only in September 2023, after we began living in SOS Children’s Village Brovary. It is much, much better now.
“We also want to thank SOS Children’s Villages for their long-term support and assistance in the development of our children. They provide laptops for learning, and tutors helped our children overcome difficulties in various subjects, like mathematics or the Ukrainian language. Our children enjoy visiting the Youth Centre, going on excursions, and participating in various creative and developmental activities. We are very grateful for all these opportunities because supporting talents and instilling self-confidence at an early stage is crucial,” says Olena.
“Right now, Mykola and Nika play the violin and piano skilfully, participate in competitions. Dasha successfully completed her music school, and Daniil and Nikita have a passion for sports – they professionally engage in football and boxing.”
The active musicians of the family, Mykola and Nika, agree to share a few details of their lives.
“I am in the eighth class of primary school and sixth class of music school,” Mykola explains. “I began music school when I was six years old in our hometown. At first planning to play the guitar, but then I switched to violin. I’ve always like music, but I also have other interests. You can say I like everything,” the boy smiles. “I like physical education and art. I also like science, and maybe I’ll become a dentist when I grow up. I don’t know, maybe I choose music as my future profession, maybe dentistry. But, I know for sure that if I become a dentist I will still play music.”
Nika has patiently waited for Mykola to finish and immediately picks up with her story: “I am also in the sixth class of music school, but I am in the ninth class of primary school. I began taking dance classes in our hometown when I was little, but after a year I switched to music school. I like to play musical instruments. I taught myself to play the ukulele by watching YouTube videos. Like Mykola, and everyone else in our house, I also have many different interests. I like painting by numbers and painting in general. I like everything artsy, I even make decorative soaps. As for my future profession, well, I’d like to follow in dad’s footsteps and build a career in law enforcement. When I finish the ninth class, my plan is to enrol to a secondary school for law, and then continue on to the Academy for Law. This has been my dream since I was little, and my dad is my role model.”
The children say that their favourite thing to do is ride bicycle around Brovary with mom and dad.
“Taking children into our family is definitely one of the best decisions we’ve ever made in our lives. It gives meaning and strength to our lives, enriches us mentally. We constantly learn from our children, grow as parents and as people. Sometimes it can be challenging, but it is because of these difficulties that we become stronger and better versions of ourselves,” says Serhii.
“We express our sincerest gratitude and appreciate the efforts of SOS Children’s Villages, which actively helps and supports us in every way on this path.”
© Katerina Ilievska