PepsiCo Ukraine and the "Tvoya Opora" Foundation: United to Save Children

On July 31, 2024, PepsiCo Ukraine and the Tvoya Opora Charitable Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation and announced the launch of a large-scale project aimed at restoring the destroyed surgical and intensive care unit of the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, located on the premises of the Ohmatdyt National Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, which suffered extensive damage during a missile strike on July 8.

As part of the partnership, two pediatric ambulances will also be purchased for hospitals that supported the emergency response following the attack. PepsiCo Ukraine is allocating $1 million USD to support these vital efforts.

The Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery is Ukraine’s largest — and one of Europe’s leading — pediatric cardiac facilities. The center performs over 1,000 surgeries and 20,000 consultations annually for children with congenital heart defects. Its specialists treat the most complex cases, including life-saving surgeries on newborns within hours of birth.

Today, the center is in critical need of support. The blast severely damaged its surgical wing, including three operating rooms for newborns and infants. The rooms are no longer airtight, the ventilation system is destroyed, and essential resuscitation equipment is unusable. Hospital wards require renovation, and the neonatal cardiology department is non-operational. Without help, this unique pediatric heart center could cease to exist.
“When the missile exploded just 30 meters from the building, doctors were performing complex surgeries on newborns with congenital heart defects. To save the children, they were forced to complete the operations under inhumane conditions. Due to the damage, the center has suspended patient intake — and this could cost lives. If surgeons cannot resume operations soon, thousands of children will lose their future. That’s why we must unite like never before. And we are sincerely grateful to PepsiCo Ukraine for their powerful contribution — thanks to them, our doctors will continue saving lives,”
says Valeriya Tatarchuk, Founder and CEO of the Tvoya Opora Foundation.

PepsiCo Ukraine has long supported children’s hospitals, providing high-value medical equipment. By joining the Tvoya Opora-led recovery effort, the company is helping to restore this crucial center.
“Our business not only provides Ukrainians with quality food and beverages, including dairy products and baby food, and supports economic stability — it also empowers us to care for the well-being of local communities. This joint initiative with the Tvoya Opora Foundation is a continuation of our long-term commitment to that mission,”
notes Oleksandr Kyseliov, CEO of PepsiCo Ukraine.

Previously, under its child health support program, PepsiCo Ukraine donated 41 neonatal incubators and two neonatal ambulances to hospitals across Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv regions. This year, with the support of Tvoya Opora, the company purchased a third pediatric ambulance, now serving Kyiv Regional Children’s Hospital No. 2 in Bila Tserkva, helping doctors save more young lives.