Head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Yulia Svetlichnaya handed over the state award to the mother-teacher of the family-type children's home, the press service of the KHOGA.

Elena Kurbatova, who now brings up 10 orphans with her husband, received the Order of Princess Olga of the third degree.

On the eve of the women's holiday - March 8 - the head of the HOGA came to visit the family of Kurbatovs in the village of Pesochin. Yulia Svetlichnaya congratulated mother-teacher with a high state award on behalf of the President of Ukraine and wished the family love, happiness and coziness.

"There are more than 4000 orphans now in the Kharkiv region. They need special support, and we do our best to provide such support, - said the head of the region. - Only last year in our region, 17 family-type homes were created, where children are brought up, as in the family. We will continue to create conditions for such families. The work on providing orphans with apartments in different districts of the region will also continue ".

The family-type children's home of parents-educators Alexey and Elena Kurbatov were established in 2009. Now the family brings up ten orphans and children deprived of parental care: 6 boys and 4 girls.

"When we took the children to ourselves, the smallest was 4 years old. Now the youngest 12 years old, the eldest - 18, we have already released one girl, "- said Elena Kurbatova.

The idea to create a family-type children's home belonged to Elena Aleksey Kurbatov, her husband, who himself grew up in a large family. However, at first, parents who already had one daughter of their own, wanted to raise 4 orphans, then 5.

"As a result, the children began to appear relatives, they could not be separated. So they became 9, and then the children asked: "Why do we have one bed empty? "And there were 10 of them," said the mother-educator. "Now, when somebody does not exist, I do not have enough, it seems that they are few".

According to Alexei Kurbatov, he tries not to impose his vision of life on the pupils, but on the contrary - to support them on the path that they choose.

"Each child has its own pearl, it takes time to find it. This is our task. One of our pupils wants to become a speech therapist, one of the pupils - go to the police, the other - to the army.

I do not deny their decisions, but I do everything to help them along the way, "explained the head of the family.

Children, who are brought up by the Kurbatovs, are visited by music and dance clubs, sports sections on basketball and aikido. Parents-educators adhere to the principles of a healthy lifestyle, active leisure and leisure. Also Kurbatov continue to communicate and support their pupil, who has already reached adulthood and lives separately from the family.