Free Accommodation for Kids with Cancer in Ukraine

Dear Friends,

This autumn, Dacha Family House celebrates its 16th anniversary – a milestone that feels like a true coming of age. It was the very first project I published here on GlobalGiving back in 2015, and since then, you have been part of this long journey helping children and their families in Ukraine.

Over the years, I’ve shared with you many stories of more than 1,600 children and parents who found a second home at Dacha, thanks to your support. You have seen Dacha grow, and so have I. Today, I want to share something more personal – my own memories and reflections, as I’ve been with Dacha since its very first day in 2009.

When I look back, I can’t help but feel nostalgic. The first rented Dacha House was located near Kyiv. Friends from Rome’s Casa Peter Pan, whose model inspired us, came to help us prepare for the opening. Back then, our team moved the office right into the house so we could stay close to families every day. It was there that we felt how mutual support works: we were helping them, but they also supported us.

I vividly remember one mother: full of life and humor despite her son’s illness and her own disability. When I struggled to use my first contact lenses, she encouraged me not to give up. Later, she herself became a Paralympic medalist after her son got well.

The second rented Dacha House was smaller, so I visited less often, but I still recall the Italian volunteers making pizza for the children and teaching us that you must first coat your hands with olive oil before kneading the dough! It was also there that I met Nataliia, who was then caring for her ill son. Today, at the newly built Dacha, she is the one greeting new families and helping them feel at home.

The third rented Dacha House was where we spent the most time. Our office was right under its roof, and every morning we saw families getting ready to go to the hospital. In the afternoons, when the children returned after their therapies, they often climbed upstairs to see what "those ladies from the office" were doing.

It was there that we made the most important decision – to build a specially designed house that would better meet families’ needs. It was late autumn, and rain was falling outside the window. Zaporuka’s founder, Natalia Onipko, couldn’t hold back her tears as the responsibility was immense. But we made the decision: we’re building it!

While the construction was underway, a mother whose child had been treated at the Cancer Institute came to visit. She noticed that the floors were uneven and pointed out details that our inexperienced eyes had missed. We knew right away that we needed her on our team. That’s how Zhenya became the project manager. We will always remember Zhenya, who sadly passed away just a few months after the new house was inaugurated. Her legacy lives on for children, and the birch tree in Dacha’s therapeutic garden grows in her memory.

Today, families have a new large Dacha – warm, beautiful, and even recognized with an award for social design. For the second year now, it has been welcoming children who, upon entering for the first time, often can’t hold back their emotions:

"This is a miracle! A miracle for children!"

Dacha in Lviv is not yet two years old, yet sometimes it feels as if it has always been part of our lives. Each time I visit, I’m moved by the care and tenderness our Lviv team shows to the families. The house is still rented, but who can say what comes next? Even now, we’re making it warmer and more like home every day.

And of course, we keep dreaming. The next big goal is Dacha House in Dnipro, a city full of resilience and vitality, where children from nearby frontline and occupied territories come for treatment.

I truly believe this dream will come true – thanks to you, to everyone who has shared Dacha’s journey over the past 16 years, and to all who will be part of its future.

With gratitude from Ukraine,

Iana Dashkovska