At the heart of the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine project are the children – Lesia Syrota
Supporting Ukrainian children is one of the core missions of the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine charity initiative. This was emphasized by Lesia Syrota, team leader of the program and Director of Retail Sales and Network Management at OTP BANK JSC, during a presentation of a social study conducted by the Blagomai Foundation. The study focused on understanding the needs of vulnerable children in Ukraine.
“Now, more than ever, Ukrainian children need our care and support. As adults, it’s our duty to help them, protect their mental health, and show them warmth and compassion. At OTP BANK, we understand this deeply, which is why the majority of our initiatives within the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine project are focused on helping orphans, children in boarding schools and specialized institutions, and those affected by the war. These are not one-time actions—we’re working step by step to restore even a small part of their happy childhood”, - said Lesia Syrota.
The study revealed a wide range of needs among vulnerable children—ranging from basic essentials like food, clothing, and medications, to access to education, medical services, and mental health support. For over a decade, OTP BANK has partnered with the Blagomai Foundation to implement numerous successful charitable initiatives aimed at supporting children in need.
One such initiative is the OTP Kids Camp in Hungary, launched in the summer of 2023, offering psychological rehabilitation and wellness for children from frontline regions. That year, 150 children took part. The program continued in 2024, hosting 117 participants in a Budapest summer camp. This year, four camp sessions are planned, providing a healing and joyful experience for 164 children.
Another heartwarming initiative is the Vyshyvanka Day gift campaign, where OTP BANK employees personally visit orphanages, boarding schools, and family-type homes to present children with traditional embroidered shirts. For many of the children, it’s the first vyshyvanka they’ve ever received. In 2024 alone, embroidered shirts were gifted to over 300 children, and this year, 551 children across 20 institutions have already received their very own vyshyvanka. “This project isn’t about big money—it’s about the happy smiles and heartfelt emotions that stay with you for a long time,” Lesia Syrota noted.
OTP BANK employees are actively involved in all aspects of the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine project—some develop and manage the initiatives, others make monthly donations or participate in internal charity auctions. One such auction raised over UAH 1 million to purchase an incubator for the Kharkiv Regional Perinatal Center. This vital piece of equipment is already saving the lives of premature newborns.
Lesia Syrota also highlighted that the Bank works to improve living conditions in specialized children’s institutions. For example, through OTP Bank Helps Ukraine: the Nadiia Educational and Rehabilitation Center in Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi (Cherkasy region) received educational equipment and a professional-grade washing machine; the Strizhavka Orphanage (Vinnytsia region) was equipped with a modern outdoor sports facility; at the Mostyshche Specialized School (Kyiv region), all the windows in the medical room were replaced. More information about the charitable activities under the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine project can be found here.
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Public Joint Stock Company OTP Bank is a subsidiary of OTP Bank, which is the largest independent Central-Eastern-European banking group. JSC OTP Bank is one of the largest domestic banks, a recognized leader in the financial sector of Ukraine. The Bank provides a full range of financial services to corporate and private customers, as well as to small and medium enterprises. The bank entered the Ukrainian market in 1998, and since then it enjoys a staunch reputation of socially responsible, reliable and stable institution providing its consumers with services of European quality standard.
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