Article
On the Way to a Dream
Meet Sofiia from Kharkiv. She is 17 years old and believes in magic—if you can call cell division or the structure of DNA magical. Instead of streaming platforms, she watches live broadcasts of open-heart surgeries. As a child, she skipped tea parties with toys in favor of playing doctor—bandaging, practicing resu...
Article
Supporting children’s learning recovery through mentorship
From a third-floor flat in Odesa, the buzz of a soldering iron can be heard – it’s 17-year-old Volodymyr repairing an old electrical device. Since childhood, he has loved taking apart, rewiring or building devices from scratch. But his interests go beyond robotics and books. Volodymyr is also determined to improve...
Press release
4.6 million children in Ukraine face ongoing educational barriers as fourth academic year during war begins
KYIV, 01 September 2025, – On the eve of the fourth consecutive academic year during the full-scale war, 4.6 million Ukrainian children are returning to learning despite numerous challenges. With classrooms damaged, lessons interrupted, and millions still displaced, the ongoing hostilities threaten to deprive a ge...
Article
A real desk, a real blackboard, and real joy
A blue-eyed girl with long blonde braids carefully sketches a big fluffy cat named Zhora and lots of hearts on the school blackboard. Like a professional artist, she signs her work: “Alessa, 7 years old, 2nd grade.” In fact, she won’t officially start school for another week. But Alessa was so impatient for the st...
Article
Children in Zaporizhzhia hopeful after years of lost learning
Thirteen-year-old Elana has been living in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine for nearly two years, after fleeing the violence in Prymorsk with her family in 2022. At first, adjusting to life in a new city was not easy – remote learning and the social isolation took a toll on her confidence. Now, with the help of catch-up clas...
Article
Graduating amid wartime, shelters help children to finish the school year in class
Today is a special day for 10-year-old Vova from Zaporizhzhia. He puts on his embroidered shirt, picks up a bunch of flowers for his favourite teacher and walks to school with his mother. There, his very first graduation awaits, marking the end of Year 4. But this is no ordinary graduation – it will not take plac...
Article
For children in Ukraine, preschool project provides hope for future
Victoria and Artem have barely been able to contain their excitement all morning, asking their mother Iryna the same question: “Mum, Mum, when are we going to kindergarten?” The days when the six-year-old twins attend preschool are always special. Due to the ongoing war, their local kindergarten in Ukraine’s Zapor...
Article
Renovations open classroom doors and get Ukraine’s children back into school safely
Six months ago, the war in Ukraine forced Nataliia and her eight children to move from their home in the Sumy region. Although the fighting was often just kilometres away, for 50-year-old Nataliia, the final straw came when a strike landed metres from their front door. Settling in the Kharkiv region, her children ...
Article
Children in Sumy return to face-to-face learning in a safe space
Five-year-old Milana eagerly awaits every meeting with her teacher Tetyana Vasylivna. Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, her kindergarten only operates online, amid shelling in her home city of Sumy, located less than 30 kilometres from the front line. However, online education is no substitute for face-to-face le...
Article
Preschool children learn key skills at catch-up classes in Ukraine
When the full-scale war broke out in Ukraine, four-year-old Sasha and her mother Vitalina fled to the city of Zaporizhzhya, where they hoped to find safety. "When we moved, Sasha was very anxious,” recalls Vitalina. “Even now, she sometimes has trouble sleeping. When she hears explosions, she starts shaking all ov...
Article
Catch-up classes help conquer barriers to education in Ukraine
Eight-year-old Liana loves school. However, until recently, she only saw her classmates on a computer screen, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Back in 2022, amid the shelling, her family had sought refuge in Czechia. However, while they felt safer, online classes proved challenging. So, after a year, the family ...
Article
Protection of children and communities a priority amid reconstruction works
As the air raid siren fades, children file out of a bomb shelter at Havrylivka school in Ukraine’s Kyiv region. Their chatter mingles with the sound of construction work, as the school’s first floor is under renovation. The repair work does not stop classes – the construction site is closed off and completely safe...