| Required amount: | ongoing project |
| Amount raised: | 0 |
Orphans
The “Orphans” program for the humanitarian headquarters “Restaurant. Potato Army” began in 2023 with a visit to the children’s shelter in the village of Tsibli. And for 2 years in a row, volunteers have been fulfilling their mission approximately once a month – they come to treat children throughout Ukraine.
The needs of children left without parents are extremely diverse. This depends on age, geography of residence, state of health, etc. In the border Sumy region, shelters are located in Shostka, Sumy, Synivka. These are settlements in close proximity to the combat zone. Military planes fly over the heads of the kids, explosions can be heard in the settlements. There is a difficulty in supplying food and drinking water, we bring generators and ecoflo, winter clothes, sports shoes. 
Children with mental and psychological disabilities are housed in a specialized institution in Tarashcha, Kyiv region. This is an extremely vulnerable socio-age group. These children have almost no prospects of being adopted by other parents, no one would dare to take an aligophrenic or neurotic into their family. It is important for the service staff that with the help of volunteers they close the main everyday problems, which are the repair of the sleeping compartment in the bomb shelter, the need for therapeutic medicines, household appliances, furniture, special toys, musical instruments.
In the village of Rokytnoye on the Ros River, volunteers of the “Restovrator” together with the organization “Nezlamny” hold seasonal camps, where children of different ages who have just lost their families come. It happens that a father has died, or even both parents have passed away, the educators do not tell them this so as not to traumatize the child’s psyche, only gradually leading them to this tragic information. The needs in the camps are traditional, these are electrical appliances, bedding and hygiene items, sports equipment and applications, operational transport and fuel are always needed, a monthly supply of fruits, vegetables, and most importantly – new communication, master classes, concerts, children’s studios.
The Family Support Center in Tsiblya is in dire need of educational literature, school supplies, hygiene items, emergency medicine, games for development and socialization, volunteers systematically deliver special groups of products, sweets, drinks. The center has good dynamics of adoption. In 2025, out of 22 children who were under care, 17 changed. Someone graduated from secondary education and began an independent life path of study and work, someone found new parents. According to the rules of such institutions, close communication of strangers with the children in their care is prohibited, so as not to arouse unnecessary vain hopes in them, it is even forbidden to take close-up photos of the children, so as not to single out anyone separately, not to give preferences over others, not to create the impression that the children are like goods on the market. Fortunately, these rules do not actually apply to volunteers, who simply need bright widgets to report on their activities to donors. And in two years alone, more than 15 people have contacted the orphanage through the headquarters of “Restaurant. Potato Army” who saw the publications on social networks and wanted to become parents for the babies they saw. The path of adoption in Ukraine is not easy. Potential mothers and fathers must pass a test of their abilities, submit a thorough official application, spend time in the institution to master the specifics of interaction with children from vulnerable categories, provide certificates about their own health, in total this procedure often takes a calendar year.
The volunteers of “Restovrator” also have children’s shelters in Kyiv, Pushcha Voditsa, Lutsk, Vorzel, Baryshivka and several other settlements. And this list is constantly being updated.
