STATEMENT: UKRAINE: "Each blow to a school is a blow to childhood"

Raisa* (61) and her granddaughter, Yana* (14), are from Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where violent conflict has escalated since full-scale war broke out three years ago. They have both experienced an enormous amount of loss and sadness in their lives. Raisa’s husband died in 2021 and then Yana’s mother died a year later, leaving Raisa and Yana on their own. Yana’s father is not part of her life, and they have very little contact. The war has caused Yana and Raisa further distress and loss. Continuous bombing and shelling forced them from their home in August 2024. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

Six-year-old Artem* misses his father, who was killed in the war in Ukraine. Artem lives in Kharkiv, close to the front line in eastern Ukraine, and his city is regularly under treat from missiles and drones. His mother Olha* (25) says a missile can hit within 30 seconds, so they don’t have time to get to a shelter and instead take cover in the corridor of their home when the air raid alert goes off. Olha says with their city under constant threat from bombing, it’s not safe for children to attend schools or kindergartens, as many of them don’t have a shelter where children can go if the air alert is activated. This means many children are missing out on their early years of education or are trying to start their first year of school online. Artem’s teacher, Viktoriia (46), says children’s phycological state in Kharkiv has been impacted by the war. She says children have become more anxious, struggle to concentrate, have forgotten how to play and how to communicate with each other. Since the war escalated in February 2022, all children in Ukraine are in grave danger of physical harm and severe emotional distress due to the ever-present threat of shelling and missile strikes. Thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed in Ukraine. Given the constant threat of bombardment and lack of schools with equipped shelter, the city of Kharkiv has resorted to setting up underground schools in its metro system to allow children at least some hours a day of face-to-face classes and the chance to interact with friends and fellow students. Artem has been attending one of the new metro schools for four weeks. He says he likes the metro school because his friends are there, and they can play together. Save the Children has supported more than 259,000 children with education support in Ukraine. We have set up Digital Learning Centres to provide students with access to learning, play and in-person support, repaired schools and kindergartens, including building 750 protective shelters for schools in front line areas, and provided catch-up classes for children who have missed months and years of education. We have also provided educational facilities – including the underground metro schools – with electronic equipment such as laptops and tablets and school kits for children, including a backpack, pencils and books. Artem received one of Save the Children’s school kits and the metro school he attends also received tablets. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

Olena* (31) has three children, including Anna* (9), Denis* (2) and Hanna* (1) who live together with their father in eastern Ukraine. The family were originally from a town close to the Russian border, but when full-scale war broke out on 24 February 2022, they sheltered in a cellar for a month before fleeing their home. They didn’t want to leave, but Olena was pregnant with Denis, and the hospital where she had planned to give birth was bombed. Olena says their village has now been burnt to the ground and almost nothing is left. The family has been displaced six times in the past three years. Olena says the constant moving has had a big impact on Anna, who struggles with frequently having to uproot her life and say goodbye to friends. Sacha Myers / Save the Children