We have begun repairing additional bomb shelters in Ukrainian schools and kindergartens.

During air-raid alerts, kindergarten children in Chernihiv take shelter in the basement of a nearby church, while students at a lyceum in Konotop can attend classes in person only a few times a year due to the insufficient capacity of the shelter. For these children as well, we have launched a campaign to renovate three school shelters, transforming outdated and inadequate spaces into safe places where education can continue even during sirens.

For more than four years, air raid alerts have regularly interrupted classes in Ukraine, forcing children to spend long hours in underground shelters that are often in poor condition. Repairing these facilities is therefore crucial not only for their safety but also for maintaining the educational process itself. As part of a new phase of restoration, we are focusing on kindergartens and schools in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, where children lack shelters that are adequate in terms of both capacity and technical standards. Our goal is to repair and install ventilation, toilets, electrical wiring, heating, lighting, and basic equipment so that teaching can at least partially continue in the shelters during alerts.

Kindergarten children in Chernihiv take shelter from drones in a nearby church

The kindergarten in Chernihiv is attended by 183 children. Their daily play is regularly interrupted by air raid sirens. Since the current shelter does not have sufficient capacity, the teachers must urgently move some of the children to the basement of a nearby church. For young children, such a stressful evacuation is not only dangerous but also very psychologically demanding.

Through this renovation, we aim to provide the children with safer and more dignified conditions right within the kindergarten building. We will focus on key infrastructure improvements – building a new, easily accessible restroom and ensuring proper ventilation. “Children often spend hours a day in shelters, and if they can spend that time in more pleasant conditions – warm, dry, in a safe environment, and with the necessary amenities –it has a very positive impact on their mental well-being,” adds Andrea Bednáriková, head of the housing support program in Ukraine.

Half a year of childhood spent underground

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, children in the Chernihiv region have heard air raid sirens sound more than 2,600 times. Each alert lasts on average about 100 minutes. In underground shelters, Ukrainian children have thus spent more than 4,400 hours – almost an unbelievable half a year of their childhood.

This also applies to 35 kindergarteners from the village of Bobrovytsya, who during sirens move to something that can hardly be called a shelter. In reality, it is only a small, cold and dark basement, essentially an improvised hole in the ground that in no way should serve for longer stays of children. We want to transform this space into a functional and safe place, also thanks to cooperation with the partner organization Angels of Freedom, which will repair the floors, walls and access staircase. We will provide electrical installation, lighting, heating, a toilet and ventilation, and we will also equip the shelter with children’s benches and work tables.

To school only a few times a year

The Lyceum in Konotope is currently attended by approximately 600 children. However, due to insufficient capacity of the school shelter, they can only attend school once every seven weeks. The rest of the time they spend at home in online learning, which is often complicated by power outages, weak connectivity, and long isolation from classmates. Our goal is to at least double this time spent at school.

In the basement of the school there is another room that, after renovation, could serve as a safe shelter and at the same time increase capacity for in-person teaching. At present, however, it is unusable due to dampness, leaks, and non-functioning infrastructure. We therefore plan to restore the space so that children can return to school more often. We will install drainage to prevent leaks and dampness, repair the walls, relocate water pipes, renovate the heating system, and install ventilation. Thanks to these improvements, students will be able to attend school every four weeks instead of the current seven. For many children, this means not only more time at their desks, but also more regular contact with classmates and a more stable environment that at least partially resembles a normal childhood.

Help children in Ukraine feel safe during alarms

Over the past years, we have participated in the renovation of several school bomb shelters in Ukraine, and in practice we see how significantly they improve conditions for both children and schools. You can already join the campaign to restore school shelters in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions today. The funds raised will be used for the reconstruction and equipping of bomb shelters in three school facilities in northern Ukraine. Our goal is to create safer and more dignified conditions during alarms and at the same time enable schools to operate in-person to a greater extent.