Denmark will build towns in Ukraine for the psychological recovery of children deprived of parental care. On Sunday, April 14, in Copenhagen, with the participation of the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, and Minister of Entrepreneurship of Denmark Morten Bødskov, the presentation of the humanitarian project "Spaces for Children's Lives" took place, within which eco-houses of family type will be built in Ukraine.
The towns will be built in three pilot Ukrainian cities. They will be integrated into the communities of the selected cities. Currently, negotiation processes are underway between the Danish side and local authorities of the selected communities.
"Today, support for Ukrainian children suffering from war is extremely important. Over 27,000 children live in institutions and need a family and a new home. Therefore, we are sincerely grateful to Denmark for this important humanitarian project. It also has an economic component. All these houses will be built using Ukrainian building materials. Therefore, Ukrainian companies will be actively involved in the project. Thus, Denmark will also support our producers," said Yulia Svyrydenko during the event.
The "Spaces for Children's Lives" project envisages providing children with comprehensive support services, including psychosocial support. It also plans to equip social spaces, recreational areas, which will be used by both the complex residents and other community residents. The project also includes the construction of bomb shelters. All structures will be transferred to local communities later. The project implementation is designed for four years.
An ecological feature of the project is its emphasis on environmental sustainability. The concept involves building housing with a significant reduction in CO2 emissions while adhering to several key principles: housing should be healthy, adaptive, simple, modern, and scalable.
The project is initiated by SOS Children’s Villages Denmark, which is part of one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations, SOS Children’s Villages, and will be implemented in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine (SOS UA), Villum Foundation, Viessmann Foundation, Grundfos Foundation, Bitten & Mads Clausen Foundation, VELUX Group, Somfy Foundation, DOVISTA, Flügger, VELUX Ukraine, Kromann Reumert, and the Danish Export and Investment Fund (EIFO).