Insights from the largest charitable orphan evacuation project, which set a world record

10.03.2025

Yevheniia But, Director of the Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation

At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation launched the Childhood Without War project, evacuating 3,500 orphans and their caregivers from frontline regions: Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. All of them were provided shelter in Turkey, staying in hotels along the Mediterranean coast.

The children were given proper living conditions, education, and development opportunities thanks to charitable donations. After nearly three years in Turkey, they have now returned to a safe region in Ukraine, where they are undergoing adaptation.

Project Details:

• The children received 850 hours of additional educational classes and courses.
• They attended 170 excursions and entertainment events.
• 5,200 sets of winter and summer clothing and 3,300 pairs of shoes were purchased for them.
• A total of €8 million was invested in the project.

The Childhood Without War initiative was included in the World Record Book. A documentary about the project, Save Generation UA, was produced and has won seven international awards.

How was the largest charitable orphan evacuation project made possible? Yevheniia But, CEO of the Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation, shared her insights in an interview.

Yevheniia, can you recall when you decided to take responsibility for organizing the evacuation within the Childhood Without War project?

Yevheniia But: First and foremost, this was Ruslan Stanislavovych Shostak’s decision. This is his mission. Action was needed—some children had to be saved, and he saved them. The Charitable Foundation was created based on this mission, and a team was assembled.

Things moved rapidly. The children were evacuated in groups of 170 to 200 at a time. During the first wave alone, 1,700 children were taken from the frontline areas. It had to be done very quickly using various types of transport—nine planes, trains, and buses were involved. Initially, the evacuated children were transported to Mukachevo, then to Romania, and from there, they were flown to Antalya, Turkey.

Evacuation was only the first stage of the project. Everything else followed. We had to ensure the children’s safety, provide medical checkups, food, and psychological support, and organize classes so they could continue their education.

Let’s not forget that these were orphans, including teenagers, who had already been through difficult life circumstances. Entering a completely new environment naturally led to many challenges. However, with the joint efforts of our team, particularly our psychologists, and with the help of the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, all issues were resolved. The children were genuinely happy being part of the project.

How was housing arranged for the children? Did you secure hotels first and then begin sending them to Turkey?

Yevheniia But: Actually, everything happened during the evacuation itself. You could say we were "building the plane while flying it." Ruslan Stanislavovych was in Turkey at the time, urgently looking for accommodation options for the children. That means the children were already in transit, and we were simultaneously finding hotels for them.

Initially, several hotels along the Mediterranean coast hosted the children. By the end of the project, we were all housed in a single hotel—Larisa.

What role did the Turkish government play? How did local authorities assist?

Yevheniia But: The Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy was directly involved in the project. They took responsibility for the welfare of the children, helped organize safe living conditions, and ensured security at our locations.

How did you interact with government authorities? What kind of oversight was in place?

Yevheniia But: No one trained us on how to handle situations like this during wartime. We all had to learn as we went—including government agencies.

Later, monitoring visits were introduced, where special commissions tracked the rights of evacuated and displaced children abroad. Beyond monitoring, these commissions provided practical recommendations for improving conditions for the children.

These monitoring teams, which included government representatives, and Ukrainian and international child protection experts, didn’t just visit Turkey. They traveled to all locations where evacuated Ukrainian children were housed across different countries. And indeed, every situation was unique.

Now that the project in Turkey has concluded, what key insights and lessons have you taken from it? Are there experiences that could benefit future charitable initiatives?

Yevheniia But: We gained many insights. If I had to summarize, they would start with the letter D:

• Decisiveness – in such circumstances, you must act quickly.
• Dedication – working with children requires long-term patience.
• Domestic environment – every child needs a family.

These were our biggest takeaways.

A massive project like this could only be achieved through synergy. One charity alone could not have handled it. The Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation was the only organization that took on both evacuation and long-term sheltering of these children.

In other countries, governments cover the costs of children staying abroad. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for us. We had to seek help everywhere—from international organizations, businesses, and individuals who simply wanted to help.

Have you previously managed large-scale children’s projects? How did you become involved in this initiative?

Yevheniia But: My background is in business management. I spent over 20 years in business leadership roles, managing various companies.

For over two decades, I worked at MTI, which operates INTERTOP and PANDORA retail networks. I was later CEO of PANDORA and then CEO of Budynok Igrashok (a major toy retailer). So, I come from a purely business-oriented background.

Why am I here? Because at a certain point—especially when your country is in a situation like this—you realize you need to do more than just earn money.

I can apply my business experience here. Organizing processes on this scale requires extensive operational management skills.

• Fundraising works similarly to securing business investments.
• Communication strategies are just as crucial as in the corporate world.

So now, I’m simply using my 20+ years of experience, and it has been invaluable in executing large-scale charitable projects.