LOS ANGELES, CA. July 22, 2024. Kidsave International, a non-profit that helps older children growing up in foster care and orphanages find forever families, in partnership with Touch of the Heart Charitable Foundation, is pleased to announce that its Ukrainian program has opened the doors of its new Miracles Center in the Carpathian Mountains. A multi-building campus far from military action, the Miracles Center is a safe refuge for children orphaned by war. This month, 40 children arrived at the Center’s inaugural summer camp to receive war trauma therapy and to connect with Ukrainian adults who may become their forever families or mentors.
Kidsave broke ground on the Miracles Center in 2022, and in late 2023 began training local child welfare professionals on trauma therapy and Kidsave's Family Visit Model, which allows children to meet and connect with potential adoptive families. Construction proceeded through obstacles caused by the war, including supply shortages, transportation delays, and volunteers and staff being called up to serve in the military.
By the time the children arrived, however, the facility’s lodging and training spaces were complete enough to welcome them. Staff had worked day and night to complete the playground so there would be space for fun. “The children of Ukraine cannot wait any longer for a place like Kidsave’s Miracles Center,” said Randi Thompson, CEO and Co-Founder. “We had to get them out of danger and find parents for those who lost their families.”
Older youth in Kidsave’s Pathway to Success, a corporate mentoring program that pairs them with professionals to provide career guidance and support, have participated in building the Center, and are working as camp counselors. Going forward, they can participate in career-readiness training at the Miracles Center, and work in the Center’s social entrepreneurship spaces, including the Colyba (or Cultural Cafe) that is open to the public.
Kidsave began working in Ukraine in 2016, helping to reform Ukraine's child welfare system where over 100,000 children languished in orphanages, institutions, and boarding schools, growing up without the love and support of family. Kidsave launched Corporate and Family Mentoring programs to move children into families or help older children successfully transition into independent living. These programs were highly successful, and plans were underway to further expand.
When the invasion began in early 2022, Kidsave immediately responded, providing humanitarian aid and evacuation assistance. To date, Kidsave's team – known locally as the Angels of Hope – has delivered over 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid across Ukraine and evacuated over 30,000 people, including 13,685 children.
About Kidsave
Kidsave is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to finding permanent families and lifelong connections for older kids in foster care and orphanages. Since 1999, Kidsave has helped thousands of children find loving homes through innovative programs and advocacy efforts. Kidsave’s mission is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing, supportive family environment.
Media contact:
Kim Tracy Prince
kim@kidsave.org
213-642-4744
