Germany helps to keep 400,000 children learning during the winter months

The German support amounting to €20 million will enable 1,380 schools and kindergartens to strengthen their heating and energy-independence into the depths of winter. Also included in this 20 million EUR winter assistance package is support to energy supply in ten hospitals and support to water systems. Altogether around 1 million people will benefit from the German winter assistance via UNICEF. 

KYIV, 15 December 2025 – A new package of financial assistance from Germany, through UNICEF, will help 400,000 children across eight regions of Ukraine, to continue learning in-person or through blended formats, as Ukraine embraces for the toughest days of its fourth winter under fire.  

The support will enable 1,380 schools and kindergartens to bolster their heating and energy-independence and to reduce class disruptions because of power cuts, loss of heating and lack of water.    

Educational institutions selected will receive a one-off payment of EUR 8,560, equivalent in Ukrainian hryvna, from UNICEF and the German Government's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank. Schools and kindergartens will be selected by a commission comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science and UNICEF. Schools and kindergartens can prioritize these funds for their needs to provide safe, warm and conducive learning environments, such as:  

• Developing an autonomous school-based heating and electricity supply
• Improving the thermal efficiency of buildings
• Purchasing fuel for boilers and heating systems
• Enacting other critical measures needed, such as repairing windows and making shelters more child-friendly. 

“Russia deliberately targets civilian infrastructure, including schools, in an attempt to disrupt the learning process and deprive children of their right to education. Despite this, we continue to fight and seek resources to ensure that schools and preschool education institutions can operate under such conditions. I sincerely thank our international partners for their support. Because of it, educational institutions will receive funding for energy-efficiency measures and to ensure uninterrupted heating. This will enable schools and kindergartens to operate in in-person and blended formats, including those in frontline regions,” said Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. 

"Germany remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine's children through this winter period," said Heiko Thoms, Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine. "By supporting schools and kindergartens to maintain safe and warm learning environments, we are investing in Ukraine's future and the resilience of its people. This partnership with UNICEF demonstrates Germany's long-term commitment to standing with the Government, people and children of Ukraine in their recovery efforts." 

“This generous winter assistance package from Germany comes at a critical time,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. “Children and their caregivers are desperate for some sense of normalcy, which going to school or kindergarten provides. This is about learning and wellbeing through staying connected with friends, feeling safe, and building life skills – the foundation for the country’s future,” added Mammadzade. 

The list of schools and kindergartens to receive grants includes educational institutions that conduct classes in person, or in a mixed format, and meet each of the following criteria: 

• Located in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, or Chernihiv oblasts.
• Situated within hromadas that are not classified as having an insurmountable level of security risk in the education system.
• Do not provide temporary or permanent accommodation for learners.  

The winter assistance package forms part of the larger recovery cooperation framework between UNICEF and the German Government's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank. The support to educational institutions builds on that provided by Germany through UNICEF to 700 schools during the winter 2024/2025.