It was the Beslan school siege in 2004 that spurred Natalia Vodianova to set up the Naked Heart Foundation. Desperate to do something to help, she had a simple idea: if the young survivors could be distracted in play for at least five minutes each day, it would help them to heal. Providing them with safe outdoor play facilities that would redefine their city landscape would be a form of therapy.
A mother herself, and having grown up in poverty in urban Russia, Natalia understood the importance of play and the devastating consequences when it is lacking. In the words of US psychiatrist Stuart Brown, play allows us to develop alternatives to violence and despair. It is through play that children at a very early age engage with the world around them and become more confident, more resilient.
Natalia failed to make contact with the Beslan authorities in the months following the tragedy, inundated as they were with offers of aid. But she decided in the meantime that other children could benefit from her idea in Russia, where the authorities do not provide playgrounds and families with children account for most of the poor. A childhood spent looking after a sister with cerebral palsy with nowhere safe to take her for her essential daily walks made Natalia determined to provide facilities that would cater for all abilities.
The Naked Heart Foundation was set up in 2005 and in 2006 we completed our first play park in Natalia’s hometown of Nizhny Novgorod, five minutes from where Natalia grew up. In 2009, forty play parks and thirty Russian cities later, Natalia fulfilled her dream of giving the children of Beslan their very own Naked Heart play park. We have a target of 500 play parks. Our major fundraising event, the Love Ball, which was held in Moscow in 2008 and in London in 2010, allows us to keep moving towards this target!
The organisation
Beginning as a one-man team in 2006, we have tried to stay true to our roots and remain streamline today, with two employees in the Russian Federation and two employees working internationally on fundraising and communications. Founder Natalia Vodianova and a small team of devoted trustees are actively involved in the day-to-day running of and fundraising for the organization. In addition, we receive pro-bono legal support from Salans internationally, and Clifford Chance in Moscow.
Legal status
The Naked Heart Foundation is a registered charity in the UK and the US and a non-commercial organization in the Russian Federation. Details of our registrations can be found below.
UK: The Naked Heart Foundation is a company limited by guarantee incorporated under the laws of England and Wales on 26 June 2007 with company registration number 6293334. It is registered with the Charities Commission of England and Wales with number 1122345.
US: The Naked Heart Foundation is a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as of 11 May 2005. The Foundation was incorporated on 10 September, 2004 pursuant to Section 402 of the Not-for-Profit Corporate Law of the State of New York.
Russia: The Children's Relief Foundation "Fond obnazhennye serdtsa" is a non-commercial organization without membership established in accordance with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on 22 March 2006.
