"Every child gets their best chance": How the House of Butterflies brings hope to seriously ill Ukrainian children
What's the problem?
This is Vika. She's from the front-line city of Kreminna. In 2022, she and her mother fled their war-torn town and settled in Dnipro. Vika has cerebral palsy — she couldn't sit, walk, hold her head up well, or feed herself. Her mother couldn't leave her to go to work, and they were left almost entirely alone with their struggle.
Vika. Photo: The City of Goodness
"I had read about the City of Goodness online, but I wasn't thinking about it then — we were evacuating, and my daughter was bedridden," Vika's mother, Larysa, shares. "But then the volunteers told me, 'You have no choice. Your girl is hanging by a thread. We want to help you get out of this; you must go there by any means, or she won't survive. Her mental state is already fragile from the bombings, and the difficult family situation is only making it worse. All this has an impact on your child.' My biggest dream was for my girl to start talking."
Caring for a severely ill child who is bedridden and needs constant attention is exhausting work. It's a 24/7 job without breaks, without even the chance to sleep properly. There are countless mothers like Larysa who are utterly drained. They don't have the money for medicine, specialized care equipment, or expensive formula. They neglect their health, their backs ache, they constantly search for money, and the war only adds to their burdens. It's no surprise that many mothers collapse under the weight of it all, and their children end up in orphanages, but it doesn't have to be this way.
"We want to help these families, and we do!" says Marta Levchenko, founder of the City of Goodness.
What's the solution?
After three months at the House of Butterflies, Vika learned to feed herself with a spoon. Photo: The City of Goodness
The nonprofit's leader, Marta Levchenko, and the doctors at the medical center recall the state 10-year-old Vika was in when she arrived in May 2023. She was extremely frail, weighing just 16 kg (35 lbs), with multiple bedsores, severe anemia, and inflammation throughout her body. She didn't respond to speech, had very poor coordination, underdeveloped motor skills, a depressive and anxious mood, and she couldn't speak or walk. However, the first signs of progress appeared within a month of intensive work by the House of Butterflies team — rehabilitators, pediatricians, neurologists, and other specialists. Vika started standing up. By late July, she confidently sat up, fed herself, and attended animal therapy sessions. In August, she gave the City of Goodness team her first drawing.
"Now, Vika is walking on her own! She's much more communicative and positive and shines in her therapy sessions," Marta Levchenko says joyfully. "Vika responds when people talk to her and can now follow simple instructions. Thanks to the tremendous work of the specialists with Vika and her mother, she's beginning to interact with other children, communicate, and explore the world around her. Her daily smile is nothing short of a miracle, proving that the City of Goodness and the House of Butterflies give children hope, a true childhood, and the chance to dream and grow."
How does it work?
When the impossible becomes possible
In rehabilitation classes. Photo: The City of Goodness
At the House of Butterflies, butterflies are everywhere — like the medical center's name, they are a tribute to the memory of their first patient, Marichka, who loved butterflies. People worldwide sent drawings of butterflies to the terminally ill girl as a symbol of support. Marichka is no longer with us, but her memory lives on.
The center is also filled with unicorns, Spider-Men, Hulks, and other characters that children adore. Every detail here reflects love and care — it's where dozens of adults said, "Possible!" to the impossible, joined forces, and started creating miracles.
"The City of Goodness creates projects where they are needed the most. One such project is the House of Butterflies — a place where children with terminal diagnoses or disabilities can receive round-the-clock medical care, rehabilitation, and support," says Marta Levchenko.
According to the City of Goodness leader, the medical center addresses one of the war's most painful challenges: many children without parental care, after evacuations or in other dire circumstances, needed high-quality, free medical care. It took several months to make the City of Goodness the first shelter with a medical license, as no medical services had been offered there before. Special attention was given to assembling a multidisciplinary team. Marta personally interviewed each doctor, seeking those who would treat not just with their hands but also with their hearts. Today, behind every child stands a whole team of professionals: pediatricians, neurologists, physical therapists, psychotherapists, and other specialists. Their goal is to make the child's life easier and reduce pain.
In the House of Butterflies. Photo: The City of Goodness
In the rehabilitation and palliative care units of the House of Butterflies, seriously ill children and their mothers can undergo check-ups, rehabilitation, massage, and animal therapy sessions, receive psychological support, and participate in relaxation programs. Marta Levchenko is certain: there is always a way to ensure every child gets their best chance. This is an enormous responsibility for the entire staff of the City of Goodness and the medical center — for each child's life and every day a child lives. Many of these children have little time and cannot wait months or years for help.
"That's why we created the House of Butterflies — so that every child in our country, especially during the war, even in the darkest times, has a place where they will be cared for and never left alone. A place where they will be free from pain and loneliness, where they'll feel loved and needed, and receive the highest quality of medical care," says Marta Levchenko.
Does it really work?
A birthday celebration at the House of Butterflies. Photo: The City of Goodness
"I never imagined that Vika would be able to walk. And now my daughter is even walking up the stairs!" says Vika's mom. "I used to carry her in my arms, and it was so hard for me. Now, I feel better, too. Vika has gained weight — she's now 24.5 kg (54 lbs) and gets lactose-free meals and supplements here. Can you imagine? She started holding a spoon and feeding herself, which never happened before! If I hadn't come here, I don't know if my child would still be alive. But here, she has bloomed like a flower. People used to tell me, 'Your child is a vegetable,' and it brought me to tears. But she has changed so much after working with the medical team."
Vika smiles. Photo: City of Goodness
Marta Levchenko adds: "I constantly witness miracles! Children sent to hospice, given no hope, achieve incredible things! Maksym, who could only crawl, is now walking! Zizi, who couldn't even crawl, is taking her first steps! Ulianka, who couldn't sit, now sits confidently on her own. Zakhar, who survived a brain hemorrhage at birth and was fed through a nasal tube with no chance of survival — now lifts his head and eats with a spoon. Ania, who was doomed to be fed through a tube in her stomach, now feeds herself for the first time, tasting food! The House of Butterflies is a place where no one gives up, and an incredible team of professionals fights for every possible chance for each child to live, grow, and achieve important milestones."
Marta with a House of Butterflies nanny on a walk with children in the City of Goodness yard. Photo: The City of Goodness
In less than a year of operation, over 300 young patients have received rehabilitation and treatment at the House of Butterflies, including 45 children with palliative care needs.
The project team faced many challenges in palliative care: finding construction opportunities — as the City of Goodness does not receive government or other budget support — designing the building, identifying the needed equipment, and obtaining licenses for precursors and medicines. It was also difficult to gather a highly qualified team during wartime when many medical professionals were mobilized and needed at the front line.
"There are almost no detailed guidelines for setting up children's palliative care. We had to piece together information from various documents and protocols to gather the best practices and then add in our own practical experience," says Marta Levchenko.
Medical Symposium "Butterflies of Hope," June 2024. Photo: The City of Goodness
To draw attention to the challenges of providing palliative care and to develop effective practices for helping children with terminal illnesses, the City of Goodness also organized the medical symposium "Butterflies of Hope." The event brought together doctors from across Ukraine and representatives from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), the Ministry of Health, and the Kyiv School of Public Administration. The leading partner of the symposium was the Okhmatdyt Children's Specialized Hospital. The charity continues to collaborate with those who attended the seminar. Marta Levchenko says she can feel the progress in this area.
Even more helpful solutions!
The House of Butterflies continues to evolve, with the medical center's specialists learning much through hands-on experience.
"We saw how crucial an emergency medical team is. Many children need transportation, which requires a dedicated team. So, we created one. We know how important precursors are for pain relief, and we've encountered many issues with vaccinating palliative and terminally ill children. Through our own experience, we learned what a full palliative care team should consist of, how vital specialized medical equipment is, and the need for our own blood lab," Marta Levchenko explains.
The City of Goodness has compiled a list of essential equipment for high-quality pediatric palliative care and is doing everything possible to ensure that no item on this list becomes a shortage. They are also planning to open a new department, which the medical center urgently needs right now. The demand is too high — children need evacuation and immediate medical care, but the House of Butterflies has run out of space and resources.
Marta Levchenko shares the story of Oleksii: "He is eight years old. He could have been alone or not alive at all — the boy has an incurable heart condition and so little oxygen in his blood that every day he lives is a miracle. But he has the House of Butterflies — a place where he is loved unconditionally, where everyone is ready to share their breath and heartbeat with him." Photo: @dasha_tenditna
"We hope that with the help of our benefactors, we will have a new department by December," says Marta Levchenko. "It's essential for us while engaging people, to show that palliative care is about life, hope, and faith, not death and pain. Many children in the House of Butterflies are lonely. Without responsible adults by their side, these children would die alone. This year, we have seen that many of them, even with incurable diseases, can achieve progress and development when given the necessary support and love. These children are talented and inspiring, and we can learn much from them. But if we don't seek ways to improve palliative care, these children will die in unbearable pain, and only through our efforts can we prevent this."
How can you help the House of Butterflies?
You, too, can support this compassionate project. Currently, the House of Butterflies dreams of having its ventilator, as many children need this kind of support and often have to wait for life-saving assistance that depends on such equipment.
You can help the House of Butterflies purchase a ventilator by donating through:
- PayPal: [email protected]
- Monobank
- PrivatBank account: UA563052990000026001021800106, CF "City of Goodness," EDRPOU 43894641
- Privat card: 5218 5722 2499 7655
Support the House of Butterflies on the City of Goodness website.
How to receive help from the House of Butterflies?
The House of Butterflies helps children with disabilities and severe illnesses and children with limited mobility, including:
- Children raised by a single parent (guardian/custodian);
- Children from large families living in difficult circumstances;
- Children from front-line areas affected by the war;
- Children in or recently out of institutional care, under the custody of the Children's Services;
- Children of service members.
These are children aged from 1 month to 14 years who:
- Have motor function impairments and need 24/7 care, physical rehabilitation, and physiotherapy;
- Have complex diagnoses and need palliative care, 24/7 medical supervision, oxygen therapy, feeding tubes, tracheostomies, or colostomies;
- Have incurable diseases;
- Need housing along with their mother.
If the child needs help, contact: +380952265157
If necessary, the City of Goodness will provide medical transportation for children from other regions of Ukraine, offer housing for the mother in the center with household needs fully met, and assist with other related organizational issues.
The City of Good also offers psychological, legal, educational, humanitarian, or other assistance to the mothers of children in the medical center.
Children can temporarily stay without their parents (guardians) to allow the adults to address urgent personal issues or recover. The center also cares for children who are deprived of parental care. Beyond medical services, children receive 24/7 care, nannies, educational services, developmental activities, and complete financial support from the charity.
Newsletter
Digest of the most interesting news: just about the main thing
