Striving for Better Amidst a Broken System
These children are often abandoned or surrendered by families struggling under the weight of financial burdens, alcoholism, abuse, crime, disabilities, and/or illness.
These children deserve more than the mere survival offered within the confines of these orphanages. Trapped in a broken system, devoid of parental love and care, they face developmental hurdles, attachment disorders, and deep-seated psychological scars.
The numbers are sobering;
the reality is harsh.
Disturbingly, one orphan with disabilities faces death every 3 months due to a lack of medical intervention. Some reports indicate this is as frequent as every 3 days. Still, countless children are surrendered to state orphanages because of a lack of resources and support to raise a child with disabilities at home. Unfortunately, the care at these institutions rarely provides beyond the basic necessities.
How We Serve
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Orphanage Visits
We provide consistent, meaningful visits to children living in state-run orphanages — building trust, offering companionship, and reminding each child they are seen, valued, and not forgotten.
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Support Families
We partner with local social services to support at-risk families, offering practical assistance and resources to help prevent family separation and keep children safely at home.
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Blossom Cottage
We are building a small group home designed to provide a safe, nurturing, family-like environment for children with special needs — a crucial step between institutional care and a permanent family.
Empowering
Change with
Blossom Cottage
Shade for Children continues to serve the children in our region through partnerships with local orphanages, providing consistent and intentional visits with the children – along with hosting summer camps, supporting local at-risk families alongside Social Services, and engaging churches and communities in the conversation of adoption and foster care.
Despite the ongoing invasion of Russia in parts of Ukraine, Shade for Children knows that the need for reform in the care of children within the Ukrainian orphan care system is urgent.
With our experience in the system, we move forward to build and operate a Private Small Group Home in Western Ukraine called Blossom Cottage!
We plan to provide a loving and nurturing environment for 8-10 children who have been orphaned or deprived of parental care.
Building Blossom Cottage is a crucial step in changing the future for orphaned children in Ukraine. While Ukraine is moving away from Soviet-era institutions and toward better family-based care, the system isn’t yet ready for 100% family placements. Thousands of children still live in large institutions or abroad, and there’s a gap between where we are and where we want to be.
Blossom Cottage serves as a much-needed stepping stone — a safe, family-like environment where children can heal and grow while we continue advocating for their ultimate placement in a permanent family through reunification or adoption.