From the moment the war broke out, we have felt the support of the Norwegian people.
Olena Zelenska
First Lady of Ukraine
Ukraine’s First Lady: Believes in targeted assistance from person to person
Norad Director General Gunn Jorid Roset and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Olena Zelenska says that the reconstruction of Ukraine is underway and stresses that rebuilding cannot wait for the war to end. Her foundation carries out targeted aid work for children and young people in the midst of the brutal war, helping them to live as normal lives as possible.
Representatives from Norwegian organisations and businesses met an open and candid First Lady at Norad’s offices.
– Come to Ukraine and see how we live, to truly understand what we need. I myself believe in targeted assistance from person to person. I run a foundation that concentrates its work on children and young people. They are the future, says Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine.
Jorun Nossum, Director of The Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, in conversation with Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Olena Zelenska Foundation was established after Russia’s full‑scale invasion began in 2022. Many Ukrainian children are facing extremely difficult circumstances. They have fled their homes and now live as internally displaced within the country or abroad. Schools, kindergartens and hospitals are being bombed. In a daily life marked by uncertainty and fear, it is essential that children and young people have the opportunity to live as normal lives as possible.
The Olena Zelenska Foundation supports large foster families by providing houses, vehicles and other necessities for everyday life. It provides psychosocial support for adolescents and youth in Ukraine. The Foundation also builds shelters in schools and kindergartens. Today, there are 30 shelters rebuild by the Foundation in the war-torn country.
Olena Zelenska states: – At first, I thought shelters at schools without daylight were absolutely terrible. But then we see that when children actually have the chance to attend school, both children and parents become calmer. The school is the heart of the local community and contributes to so much more than education: health, leisure activities, sports and a sense of belonging.
Already now, Ukrainians are planning how the shelters can be used after the war, transforming them into sports halls and other facilities for the benefit of local communities.
Norway stands with Ukraine through the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, both civilian and military.
Norwegian business and civil society were strongly represented at the event.
– Children must be able to attend school, spend time with friends, dream about the future and develop. Protecting children’s rights and giving them support and opportunities amidst a chaotic everyday life is among the most important things Norway and the international community can contribute to in Ukraine, says Gunn Jorid Roset, Director General of Norad.
Through the Nansen Support Programme, Norway has contributed nearly one billion kroner to initiatives supporting children in Ukraine. The funds go to UNICEF, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages, and others, and is used to help abducted children return to their families, provide psychosocial support and ensure access to education.
First Lady Olena Zelenska took the opportunity to thank Norway for its support and referred to the historic bonds between our two countries:
– We know well that you are our friends. Remember that many streets in our cities are named after Nansen, in recognition of his assistance during the great famine of the 1920s. Now these streets are targets for Russian bombs. History repeats itself. Fortunately, there is hope for a better future.