About us

Green Cross Ukraine, national ecological organization was established in 2000, actively supported by Mikhail Gorbachev, famous politician, Founding President of Green Cross International.

Green Cross Ukraine gained the status of a National Committee on January 31, 2002 in Geneva (Switzerland).

The main purpose of the organization is the promotion of the improvement of health and social state of the population and providing support to the most affected strata of population – children, teenagers and mothers with little children.

Tragic social and medical consequences of the Chernobyl accident predetermined basic activity lines of the organization within the International Program SOCMED, which is the part of LEGACY Program of Green Cross International.

International Program SOCMED consists of 3 components:

Social care – SOCMED – social assistance to the most vulnerable strata of population (orphans, single mothers, children living in ecologically unfavorable regions of Ukraine)
Medical care – SOCMED – rehabilitation and treatment of children, teenagers, mothers with little children and preventive measures.
Educational care – SOCMED – ecological education and upbringing aimed at dissemination of knowledge about healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and environment protection

International SOCMED Program in Ukraine is aimed at the formation of the responsibility of the country’s population for the future of their children, their physical and spiritual health. The program provides the acquirement of self-aid methods for people to be able to find their own solutions and take active measures.

The following people are involved in the development and implementation of Green Cross Ukraine projects:

GCU Chairman of the Board, Executive Director - Yuriy Sapiga

Professor, Doctor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences, Vice President of the GCU - Vladimir Verbitsky

GCU Project Coordinator - Tatiana Ishchenko

GCU Project Manager - Tatyana Lepekha

GCU Assistant - Lolita Bogunenko

GCU Technical and Coordination support - Yurii Lepekha

GCU Technical and Informational support - Dmitry Sapiga

GCU Accountant - Elena Kolenchenko

GCU Accountant - Olga Churkina

President Emeritus:

People's Artist of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Professor, Honorary President of Green Cross Ukraine - Oleg S. Tymoshenko

Professor, Doctor, Ambassador of the World, Honorary President of the GCU - Maksym Tymoshenko

Projects of Green Cross Ukraine within the International SOCMED Program:

Therapy Camp
International Eco Educational Camp
Caries Prevention (Zhytomyr Regional Children's Hospital)
Health for the Future (Zhytomyr Regional Children's Hospital)
Mother and Child Clubs and Social Cooperatives (6 regions)
Training for Trainers. School of Leader, Volunteer
Information and Publication
Organisation Development

Target groups, aid recipients:

children and teenagers with chronic diseases caused by the consequences of the Chernobyl accident and constant living in the contaminated area
children and teenagers, whose parents are liquidators of the Chernobyl accident
children from large families and single-parent families
low-income and single-parent families
families and children living in ecologically unfavorable regions of Ukraine
vulnerable segments of the population, those internally displaced people (IDP), families and children who were uprooted and had to to leave their homes and places of residence (Donetsk and Lugansk regions), in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict in the east of Ukraine
children and adolescents, orphans and half-orphans whose parents tragically died in the antiterrorist operation in the eastern part of the country

Over 2 000 children aged 8-16 years were rehabilitated and treated in sanatoriums of Ukraine under the project activity for years.

Within the International SOCMED Program over 67 thousand of children aged 4-16 years have undergone medical check-up and treatment.

During all these years GCU receives comprehensive methodic and financial support from Green Cross International, Green Cross Switzerland, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Ukraine and the Swiss Confederation Embassy in Ukraine. Green Cross cooperates with partners who are representatives of ministries and authorities, regional and district administrations, public organisations to support project activities on the permanent basis.

In July 2009 Colgate-Palmolive Ukraine, Co. donated products for oral hygiene (toothbrushes, toothpastes), i.e. 30 thousand items for GCU Caries Prevention project implemented in Zhytomyr region and Eco Summer Therapy Camp held in Transcarpathian region.

In January 2013, with the support of Green Cross International, International Forum Committee (IFC), and the World Water Council (WWC) the Smart Water for Green Schools project was successfully realized in Ukraine. It was aimed to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation, improve water supply to the extended communities and raise environmental awareness of the local schoolchildren (village of Nevgody, Zhytomyr region). 403 people, including 71 children aged to 17 benefited and gained support from the project.

At the initiative of the International Socmed Program Director, in 2015 Green Cross Ukraine (GCU) established new partnership with the children's summer recreation center “Kinderdorf Senti” in Hungary. It was the first joint project realized for the rehabilitation and restoration of health, psychological and emotional state of the children, with the status of internally displaced people from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The project was successfully held thanks to the coordination and support of the Hungarian side, the Consular Section of the Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine and promotion of local partners from the Department of Family, Youth and Sports of the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration. Valuable assistance was rendered to 17 children from the families of internally displaced people in consequence of the military conflict in the east.

We are always open to a constructive dialogue with various organizations, funds, groups, people who care about the future of children in Ukraine.