Map of the City of Goodness
THE STRUCTURE OF THE CITY IS GOODNESS
6 buildings
39 rooms for mothers
3 bomb shelters
4 canteens
4 kitchens
2 libraries
3 outdoor playgrounds
6 play spaces
2 classrooms
medical center
shelter for dogs
gym
sewing workshop
laundry
school for mothers
psychologist’s office
canistherapy center
Our Licenses
Continuing professional development provider, registration number 1479
In accordance with the order of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control No. 216 dated February 15, 2025, a license for the use of precursors was obtained…
Decision of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 1603 dated September 11, 2023 on the issuance of a license for medical practice.
Mission of the City of Goodness
Establishing a large-scale space for protection and comprehensive support for women and children in challenging life circumstances. This includes assistance to children who have been forced to evacuate because of the war, families affected by violence, and children requiring palliative care or rehabilitation.
In the City of Goodness, children will always have the opportunity to receive full comprehensive protection under any circumstances: from assistance in evacuation and transportation to medical, psychological, legal and humanitarian support even after they leave the shelter
This is a territory of love, comfort, safety, development and a place to start a new life for mothers and children of Ukraine. Thousands of incredible people have poured their hearts and souls into its creation so that those who seek refuge there can truly find a place of healing and growth. Respect for the dignity of everyone, attention to the smallest details, openness and filling with the philosophy of kindness make this place truly unique.
The City of Goodness is not funded by the government, but operates solely at the expense of caring people who want to be involved in establishing new standards for social shelters, taking care of children and solving problems of overcoming poverty and insecurity of the most vulnerable Ukrainians.
We are ready to share our experience, we are ready to support and be useful so that our work spreads across our beautiful country. We are ready to receive guests, wizards and those who want to know all the details every day.
We are always looking for wizards and partners who want to help, become an important part of the history of the City of Goodness and be a part of the miracles that happen here every day. Contact us!
About the founder
“Hello, I’m Marta Levchenko!
If we have met on this page, you are also not indifferent to the future of Ukrainian children, the environment we are shaping today and the legacy we will leave behind.
There is no specific day when I began my charity work because even as a child, I was deeply aware of other people’s pain, needs and injustice. Even at that time, I did not understand why it was impossible to create opportunities by the hands of responsible and strong adults where everyone would feel safe and loved.
I grew up, and together with my closest people, we decided to make poor children’s dreams come true since we were dreamers ourselves. We invited the poorest children of the region to the holidays organized by our company. Then we got to know them, fell in love with them and realized that the reality of these children outside of our holidays was pain, fear, hunger, wounds, injuries, illness and hopelessness.
Beyond fulfilling dreams, we decided to give these children all the opportunities that every child needs. For this purpose, we have implemented more than 50 projects within the I Am the Future of Ukraine Foundation. My team and I have worked hard, studied, researched international experience and realized that we would not be able to provide truly high-quality assistance without the place of protection and support we had built.
During my charity mission to Kolkata, I realized what this space should look like: not in a rented house, but one that would work for centuries to protect and care for children.
That’s how the City of Goodness was born.
For me, the City of Goodness is a project with a strategy for eternity. I always set myself tasks that do not end in the near future. Therefore, the status of “Done” will probably come when I am gone. Even the trees I choose are those that become adults at the age of 100, such as the cercis tree that is in this photo with me. It grows 1.5 mm every 5 years and will become an adult in 2123. I will not see it again. That is why we never stop but always follow the path of the highest quality construction and creation of an inclusive space where everyone will find coziness.
I am supported in this by my family — my husband Denys, with whom we planned every step of our charitable projects. Our daughter also loves children, helps me and understands everything. She sees everything I do, and one day she will be able to take on this work herself. We also have a girl who we adapted from the Oleshky orphanage. She is in a wheelchair, and when she turned 17, it was very important to us that she did not end up in a nursing home or a neuropsychiatric institution. We are a family.
I have no tolerance for injustice and am ready to do everything to increase the number of happy children and responsible adults in Ukraine.
I believe in people. I am grateful to everyone who is with us!
And I assure you that every time you come back to the City of Goodness, we will be building new opportunities for the children of Ukraine at that very moment. Join us!”
History of the shelter
The City of Goodness was born out of necessity. We helped women who were forced to give their children to an orphanage because of domestic violence, homelessness or poverty. However, over time, we realized that all the courses, humanitarian aid, legal or psychological counseling did not have the desired effect because there was no primary condition — a safe place where these changes could enter a person’s life. We decided to create such a space.
STAGES OF ESTABLISHING THE CITY OF GOODNESS
2016
The City of Goodness started its operations in a rented building
2017
The first plot for the construction of a shelter was purchased
2018
Construction of the first building
2020
Official opening of the City of Goodness and its further development
2022
Construction of new buildings for evacuated children from orphanages
2023
Establishment of a сanistherapy center, a women’s rights department and a medical center with rehabilitation and palliative care units
plans for 2024
Construction of an inclusive school.
Philosophy of the City of Goodness
“There is no shorter way to healthy children provided with necessary things than the success of their mothers,” founder of the shelter Marta Levchenko
“You want to live here: there is hope, peace, safety and love. At the same time, we are establishing a new quality of social centers: with respect for human dignity and personality. For many people who live here, this is their home. There is a whole world behind every room where a family or children live. That’s why we make everything homely: playrooms, children’s rooms and bedrooms. We don’t want it to look like an infirmary, a social center or an orphanage, but to make everyone feel at home,” says Marta Levchenko, the center’s founder.
Many City of Goodness alumni go on to become volunteers in various fields. While still living in the City of Goodness, they feed the homeless, help abandoned animals, and take an active part in the foundation’s other activities.
If you try not to judge others, but to understand why they act the way they do, you automatically want to help them. There is an expression in English called “hurt people hurt people”. It means that people, who are hurt, hurt other people. This makes it possible to lend a helping hand to those who need it.
We offer transparent reporting, effective comprehensive long-term assistance, and a team of lawyers, doctors and specialists. We personally live through their challenges with our clients. We have experience in implementing educational, artistic, humanitarian, medical, psychological, and protection projects.
Reports
The City of Goodness is not funded by the government, all funds come from donations. Currently, nearly four hundred people and about 50 animals are living with us at the same time, so we are talking about hundreds of thousands of hryvnias in expenses each month. Our budget is very unstable.
During the war, the turnover of people increased, families come to us, recover and move on with our support in their independent lives.
We are constantly in the process of construction. We have just finished constructing a rehabilitation center with a palliative care unit and will soon begin building an inclusive school.
We simply cannot allow ourselves to skimp when it comes to children. Many of them have never had a proper diet, which greatly affects their health. Therefore, we need to provide them with a proper and varied diet: meat, dairy products, fresh vegetables and fruit.
The Medical Center of the City of Goodness is a unique place in Ukraine that requires large-scale funding, qualified staff and the supply of expensive medicine and medical devices for children, as well as other household expenses. We face unpredictable challenges every day, so we need the support of people who care about the City of Goodness developing as a place of love and sustainability.