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"Thank you to the people from Vinnytsia": how a family from Donetsk region fled the war with 9 kids

Fleeing from shelling, the Kryvohornitsyn family moved to Vinnytsia. Read in the exclusive YouthFutureUA material about which of Vinnytsia residents was not afraid to take in a family with 9 children, how they arranged their life and what the children do now.


They raise 9 children

The family was forced to flee from the Kramatorsk district / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


Family came to Vinnytsia from the Kramatorsk district. After the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, they remained at home for almost a month.


But the situation worsened, so they decided to leave.


"There was very loud shooting, the children did not sleep at night", – says Oleksandr, the father of the family.

On March 23, the family left their home. On March 24, they arrived in Vinnytsia.


Oleksandr and Olena Kryvohornitsyn raise 8 adopted children (and 1 their own kid). In fact, the couple created a family-type orphanage. The youngest of the children, Timofeyko, is 5 years old. The eldest, Elizaveta, is 18 years old.


Grandma also came with the family / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


A grandmother also came to Vinnytsia with her large family.


A family-type orphanage is a separate family created at the request of a spouse or an individual who is not married. At least 5 orphans and children deprived of parental care are taken into such a family for upbringing and cohabitation. Source: Wiki.legalaid

How did they end up in Vinnytsia


The family chose to go to Vinnytsia because they had friends there. The family was settled by Oleg and Valentina Danylenko from Vinnytsia. They were not afraid of so many children and offered their help.


Oleg and Valentina Danylenko welcomed all members of their extended family / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


The people of Vinnytsia not only offered to settle with them, but also gave the family a plot of land under the barabola. Also, the adoptive father, Oleksandr, helped the Danylenkos cultivate the land, sow soybeans, and apply fertilizers.


Oleksandr helped the Danylenkos work on the land / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


But there is not enough time for his own hobbies, the man says.


"When you have 8 adopted children, you need to make time for everyone. We go to the Emmanuel Church in Vinnytsia every Sunday", – says Oleksandr.

People helped as much as they could


People from the church helped the family with food packages. Neighbors were not left behind either – they also helped with food, children's clothes, canned goods and clothes.


The family goes to church every week / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


The children's service gave the family 2 children's bicycles, 2 tablets, 3 bags of toys and 2 sofas.


Children in the family are very active


The family has 9 children of different ages. Timofey is 5 years old, Samira is 7 years old, Danylo is 9 years old, Oleksandra and Zakir are 10 years old, Nina is 14. Elizaveta is the oldest, she is 18. Sergei and Ruslana are the same age, 17 years old.


Zakir has many medals from competitions / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


10-year-old Zakir is engaged in wrestling. The boy participated in competitions more than once and has many medals for prize-winning places.


17-year-old Ruslana sings and plays the piano. The girl often performed in front of the public in her native Donetsk region.


Ruslana is seriously engaged in music / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


With the beginning of the academic year, schoolchildren plan to study online.


"Samira went to school in Vinnytsia, but the program turned out to be more difficult. Then our teacher got in touch and we returned to her", – says the father.

The family spends time actively in Vinnytsia / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


The children got to know their peers in the yard and already had time to find friends.


They are grateful to the people of Vinnytsia


The Kryvohornitsyn family asked to write words of thanks to the people of Vinnytsia, who gave them a temporary home.


The family thanks Valentina and Oleg from Vinnytsia for not being afraid to give their children a home / Photo by Oleksandr Kryvohornitsyn


"We are grateful to Oleg and Valentina, for the fact that they were not afraid to take a large family in this difficult time for us", – emphasizes Oleksandr, the father of the family.

See more photos of the Kryvohornitsyn family here:




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