OREANDA-NEWS. In the village of Pnikut, Lviv region, there was solemnly opened the fourth family-type children’s home, built on the initiative and at the support of H. Stepic CEE Charity, founded by Herbert Stepic, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International. The project has been realized by the catholic charity Caritas-Spes. The Austrian charitable organization kleine herzen has also joined this project of building the mini-complex of family-type children’s houses.

The large Buchma family accepted house-warming greetings from Serhiy Boiko, Regional Director of Lviv Regional Directorate of Raiffeisen Bank Aval, Yuriy Pavlenko, Ombudsman for Children of Ukraine, and Ivan Grunyk, Deputy Chairman of Lviv Regional State Administration.

As is planned, there will be five similar houses built in this village on a land plot of 1.5 hectares. Each house is inhabited by10 children, who are under the tutelage of qualified pedagogues. The main objective of the project is to integrate the children into the society and to increase their chances for a good future.

Apart from building the children’s homes in Pnikut, H. Stepic CEE Charity has renovated and equipped the local bakery, which not only produces fresh bread for the children, but also contributes to the financial stability of the whole project.

About H. Stepic CEE Charity

The H. Stepic CEE Charity, association to support charity projects in Central and Eastern Europe, is an Austrian charity fund which was founded in 2006 by Herbert Stepic, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International AG, in Vienna.

The association provides a lifeline for vulnerable children and disadvantaged adolescents and women. The projects are intended to give the beneficiaries new perspectives and hope by supporting and accompanying them with e.g. finding new employment or prodiving them with access to food, shelter and education. The aim is for children and juveniles to become independent for a better and secured self-determined future.

The H. Stepic CEE Charity has been added to the official list of charitable organizations (kept by the Austrian Ministry of Finance), rendering donations tax-deductible.