Victor and Elena Pinchuk welcome fourth child

The family of Ukrainian businessman and art patron Victor Pinchuk is celebrating a new addition to the family. On 28th September 2011 Pinchuk’s wife Elena gave birth to a baby girl, whose name has not yet been announced.

She is the fourth child in the Pinchuk family, and their second one together. Their first child, Ekaterina, is eight years old. Twenty-year-old Roman is Elena’s son from her first marriage, and Mariya, 29, is from Pinchuk’s previous marriage.

Elena is the daughter of former president Leonid Kuchma, she founded the first and sole Ukrainian foundation to address HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is working at private expenses.

The list of Pinchuks activities in Ukraine is hard to exhaust. Apart from the economic forum for the world’s mighty in the Crimea, Pinchuk’s philanthropic venture “Victor Pinchuk Foundation” contributes significant donations to fight AIDs, supports talented youth and memoralize the Holocaust. Pinchuk also partners with the George Soros Fund on certain initiatives.

One of Victor’s most notable charity enterprises is the renowned Pinchuk Art Center in the center of Kyiv, which offers to the visitors world-class contemporary art free of charge. Pinchuk has has also sponsored the performances of legendary musicians Elton John in Kyiv in 2007 and Paul McCartney in 2008.

Victor Pinchuk is the first Ukrainian private citizen to be honored in the “Time 100 – The World’s 100 Most Influential People” list by Time Magazine

The Victor Pinchuk Foundation is proud to announce that Victor Pinchuk is listed as one of the "2010 Time 100 - The World's Most Influential People" in Time Magazine, published on April 29, 2010. Mr. Pinchuk is listed in the "Thinkers" section, among the most influential thinkers in the world -- along with Apple founder Steve Jobs, Minister Mentor of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, newly appointed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and designer Zaha Hadid.
Time Magazine's world-renowned list comprises an exclusive group of highly distinguished international leaders and innovators. Victor Pinchuk, as a non-partisan philanthropist and businessman, is the first Ukrainian private citizen to be thus distinguished. In 2005, then-President Viktor Yushchenko was the first Ukrainian on the list.
Mr. Pinchuk is highly honoured by this nomination, which sees as a reward for his many years of commitment to setting trends in philanthropy in Ukraine: "It is a big honour for me to be the first representative of Ukraine's civil society to be distinguished by Time Magazine."
Victor Pinchuk added: "This distinction goes not only to me, but to the whole Ukrainian people. To all the Ukrainian citizens who managed to keep the country going and develop it even in times of crisis and political instability. And to Ukraine as my nation, the country that allowed me to be what I am today."
For over 12 years Mr. Pinchuk has implemented philanthropic projects in Ukraine; in 2006, he consolidated them under the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, the largest private Ukrainian philanthropic foundation. With his foundation, Victor Pinchuk has sought to serve and support the Ukrainian people in a non-partisan approach and to trigger change in the country in areas like healthcare, education, art and international relations. The foundation's projects include a network of neonatal centres, Cradles of Hope, the largest private nation-wide scholarship program in Ukraine, Zavtra.UA, the largest contemporary art centre in Eastern Europe, PinchukArtCentre, and the international network Yalta European Strategy (YES) to support Ukraine's European integration.
Sir Elton John, who supports the efforts of Victor Pinchuk and his wife, Elena Franchuk, to combat HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, declared in his appreciation of Victor Pinchuk for the "Time 100" list: "Victor Pinchuk is the leading advocate for bringing his country into the European Union. He is heroic in his fight against anti-Semitism as well, and he collaborated with Steven Spielberg on a film that calls attention to the plight of the Ukrainian Jewish community during the Holocaust. Through his work in all these fields, Victor shows his love of our planet and makes the world a better place to live."
Victor Pinchuk declared: "The mission of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is to enable the next generation to become the change makers of tomorrow. I hope our initiatives will contribute to having in the future many Ukrainian scientists, thinkers, artists and social leaders on the "Time 100 - The World's Most Influential People" list."

via pinchukfund.org

About Viktor Pinchuk

Victor Pinchuk is one of Ukraine’s most successful businessmen, whose role in civic, international affairs and charitable organizations has made him a leader in Ukraine’s growing interaction with Europe and the world.
Born in Kyiv in 1960, he graduated with honours from the Dnipropetrovs’k Metallurgical Institute in 1983 and earned a PhD degree in 1987 before starting his career as a research engineer in pipe production.

V.Pinchuk speech at the 2nd Davos Philanthropic roundtable, 2009

During the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the 2nd Davos Philanthropic Roundtable. The event gathered founders and leaders of the foremost philanthropic institutions of the world.

Philanthropy in Ukraine - PR or a generous impulse?

The tradition of helping the deprived and donating to charity is new to the independent Ukraine.
Patronage is the new concept for many people and somewhat smirched with some charitable foundations that served to launder money. Besides, the government is not interested that the rich help the poor.
On all-Ukrainian Charity Day, marked on each second Sunday of December, Anastasia Daugule, Podrobnosti correspondent, has tried to find out who the Ukrainian philanthropists are. This time is just fit for the active patronage, when winter holidays begin. Starting from St. Nicholas day till the New Year and Christmas day all kinds of philanthropists invade schools and orphanages. But once the New-Year trees are out, charitable activities die down, exactly for six months before Children's Day marked in summer.
By a happy coincidence cameras are always switched on when politicians, businessmen and showmen are reeling off with little deprived Ukrainians.