«These children are ours»: A couple from Khmelnytskyi region who welcomed three boys into their family»
Natalia and Yuriy are raising six children, three of whom — Bohdan, Dmytro, and Nazar — are foster children.
A metal arch stretches across the entire yard, densely entwined with rose bushes. The branches now have almost no leaves or flowers left, but the sharp thorns are clearly visible. Still, warmth, care, and time will once again bring forth delicate blooms.
«When my husband Yura and I brought the kids home, they cried, screamed, wanted to eat endlessly, and were afraid to leave their bags with belongings unattended. We talked a lot with the boys, went for walks, involved them in our family routine, and after a year they changed dramatically,» says mother Natalia. «Children, like flowers, need patience, kindness, and love.»
Natalia and Yuriy are raising six children, three of whom — Bohdan, Dmytro, and Nazar — are foster brothers who joined the family in 2024. With support from UNICEF and partner organizations, the children receive psychological and speech therapy assistance, attend developmental classes, travel, and grow up in a family where there is always support and understanding.
«Things that are completely ordinary for our children were unfamiliar to the brothers»
Natalia and Yuriy had planned to adopt children right after getting married.
«Probably I was the one who initiated taking children into our care. I grew up with my mom and stepfather, without my biological father. Back when I walked around Khmelnytskyi, I often passed by the orphanage and very early on realized how bad it is without a family,» shares Yuriy.
Their first child was son Artem — he is now 22, married, and has his own little daughter. Six years later, Timur was born.
«After the birth of our second son, my husband and I finally decided to welcome a child into the family. We dreamed it would be a girl,» recalls Natalia. «While we were thinking and deciding, our daughter Orysia was born — she is now 5 years old. But our plans to take in more children didn't change.»
In 2024, Natalia and Yuriy completed preparation courses for foster families and welcomed three biological brothers — Bohdan, Dmytro, and Nazar, who are now nine, eight, and seven years old, respectively.
«I was convinced we would take all three children at once,» smiles Natalia. «When we were shown their photos, we decided that these children are ours. We didn't even look for anyone else. We met the brothers, got together a few times, and brought them home.»
The first day the boys arrived at the family was both eventful and challenging. Natalia and Yuriy showed the children their new rooms, the house, and the household.
«There were suddenly four children of similar age in the house — whatever one wanted, the others immediately needed too. There were tantrums, tears, and hurt feelings, but we got through it all together,» says Natalia. «Imagine: the boys saw sugar, salt, and fresh fruit for the first time and felt how nice it is to jump in puddles in rubber boots. Things that are completely ordinary for children were unfamiliar to the brothers.»
«Over the year, we became a real family»
The boys arrived in the family in mid-summer, and by September they were already attending the local school: Bohdan in second grade, and the younger brothers in first grade. Natalia and Yuriy decided that the children were old enough and that this would make it easier for them to socialize and make friends.
«We taught Dmytro and Nazar to write and read before school. When the children picked up pens, they immediately started screaming and crying. It's hard to say why it happened, but we managed to overcome that too,» recalls Natalia. «School psychologists asked why we didn't send the younger ones to kindergarten, but we never regretted for a moment that the children went straight to first grade instead. After a year of school, the boys have made a lot of progress.»
Today, each of the boys has his own interests and favorite activities. Bohdan is inclined toward mathematics, loves computer games, and is learning to play the button accordion — he attends music lessons at the House of Culture. Dmytro can already read by syllables, count, and excels at natural sciences. Nazar really loves reading and can retell what he's read. Natalia says that earlier, due to a lack of words and outlook, it was very difficult for the children to tell stories.
«The boys go to school together and come home from lessons together, do their homework independently. Each has small responsibilities, like feeding the cat and dog, bringing in firewood. They know where the pliers and hammer are kept, love spending time with me around machinery,» says Yuriy. «They have changed a lot; over the year we became a real family. When I come home, they immediately run to meet me and tell me about their day. It's nice to realize that the efforts invested in their development are not in vain.»
Natalia adds that the brothers previously didn't know how to ride a bicycle or scooter, swim, or even jump on a trampoline. Now they have a truly happy childhood, as every child should have.
The family has already established its own special traditions — on weekdays everyone gathers for breakfast at the common table, and on weekends they walk together in the dendropark, go to the forest or pond, cook dishes in a cauldron over a fire in the evening, and read Ukrainian folk tales before bed.
«Recently there was a lunar eclipse, and we decided to watch it outside. We set up a table and chairs on the terrace, fried potatoes, baked apples. The children were happy,» recalls Natalia with a smile.
«It's impossible to imagine our family without the children»
Natalia is the village starosta (local council head), and Yuriy is a farmer who grows agricultural crops. He participated in the "AGRIS2" project implemented by "Caritas Khmelnytskyi UGCC" in partnership with "Caritas Ukraine" with financial support from "Caritas Austria" and received a financial grant.
«We bought a deep ripper for soil cultivation that we had long dreamed of. We have a large family and need to take care of its well-being. This financial help was like manna from heaven for us,» explains Yuriy.
Thanks to support from the regional organization "Caritas-Spes Ukraine" with UNICEF facilitation and financial support from the European Union, the children attend classes under the program "Better Care for Every Child: Development of Social Services and Child Protection System in Khmelnytskyi Region." In the summer, Natalia and Yuriy vacationed with the children at a camp in the village of Yablunytsia amid the Carpathian Mountains.
«We had the opportunity to talk with other people who had taken children into their families, discuss our challenges and achievements,» says Natalia. «Very good living conditions, warm attitude toward every camp participant, and wonderful scenery. We climbed Mount Khomyak together — overcame kilometers and difficulties. The children were thrilled, and these memories will surely warm us all for a long time.»
At first, acquaintances discouraged Natalia and Yuriy from taking three children into the family. Fellow villagers warned that "someone else's children" would never become their own.
«Our hearts with my husband were open and ready to accept the boys. Now we feel like one family, and the children call us mom and dad. We need to and should break stereotypes about adoption,» says Natalia. «To families who want to take in a child, I would say that it's not easy. However, if you love the child, they immediately become yours.»
Yuriy says he wants to teach the boys humanity and independence so they can easily manage in life: «It's scary to think what would happen if these children were still living without us now, and it's impossible to imagine our family without them anymore.»
The project "Better Care for Every Child: Development of Social Services and Child Protection System in Khmelnytskyi Region" is implemented by the regional organization "Caritas-Spes Ukraine" with UNICEF facilitation and financial support from the European Union and the Government of Canada.
