Regional visit to the EU-supported educational institutions within campaign Together We Learn & Grow in Kyiv Oblast

On 8 November 2024, the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Katarína Mathernová, and UNICEF Deputy Representative Programmes OiC, Emmanuelle Abrioux, visited kindergarten No. 4 “Prolisok” in Bucha and Lyceum No. 3 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. The visit took place as part of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign Together We Learn & Grow. The EU and Ukraine Creating a Common European Future, continuing a series of regional events informing Ukrainians about the support and opportunities the EU provides to Ukrainian education and youth during wartime.

The Bucha County suffered serious damage as a result of Russia’s full-scale war. Educational institutions were also affected – kindergartens, schools, vocational schools, and higher educational institutions. However, even today, this area faces a high threat of shelling and attacks, so it is important not only to rebuild schools but also to create the safest possible learning space. The kindergarten and lyceum visited by the officials are an example of this approach. In projects by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and in cooperation with UNICEF, modern classrooms and shelters have been created for children and teachers to use during air raid alerts. These projects, funded by the EU and local communities, demonstrate the benefits of collaborative reconstruction efforts. This experience should be replicated in other communities. The example of kindergarten No. 4 “Prolisok” in Bucha and Lyceum No. 3 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, convincingly demonstrates the effectiveness of the European Union’s cooperation with international and local partners in the implementation of socially important projects.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale war, the EU has directed over €100 million in budget and grant aid to create a safe educational space. This money is being used to rebuild schools, provide psychological assistance to children, parents, and educators, and conduct a mine safety campaign. The European Union has also allocated two multi-sectoral loans to Ukraine for a total of €540 million to fund repairs to social infrastructure, including educational institutions. As of the end of September 2024, repairs had been carried out at 20 facilities in 11 regions. There are plans to repair nine more schools and preschools. In the second phase of the programme, 80 educational institutions in 10 regions of Ukraine will be repaired. The total estimated cost is €158.6 million, and work has already begun at 19 facilities. Overall, the EU’s budget assistance to Ukraine provides for the repair of more than 280 educational institutions in 19 regions.

Through the European Commission’s Foreign Policy Instrument, the second phase of the “U-LEAD with Europe: Local School Rehabilitation for Resilience” project with a budget of €5 million is being financed in 2023–2024. This project is implemented by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit). GIZ also oversees the “EU4Resilient Regions/EU for Resilient Regions” project. Its implementation will allow the restoration of 5 schools in 5 regional centres by June 2025. The EU has allocated €1.4 million for this project.

The implementation of projects and programmes by DG ECHO (the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) will support the restoration of 226 schools and the construction of 118 school shelters. DG ECHO has also conducted mine safety training for over 16,000 students and teachers. They have provided psychological assistance to over 42,000 schoolchildren and educators and provided educational materials to over 200,000 children. Additionally, 38 digital learning centres have been created.

Responding to urgent security needs, the European Union and its member states have already allocated €15 million for the construction of new school shelters in Ukraine, in particular in Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Odesa. This will allow about 5,000 students to return to their desks within a year and a half.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová:

“I am truly grateful to visit a kindergarten in Bucha and a lyceum in Irpin, which are just two examples of the support of the European Union to education. This visit is also taking place amidst the EU communication campaign on support to education and youth in Ukraine. But this is not just about supporting education; it is about helping communities heal and rebuild. Through the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the EU has partnered with UNICEF Ukraine and local communities to create a safe and modern learning environment by renovating classrooms and building shelters to protect children and teachers during the relentless Russian attacks. Even in the toughest times, we are standing together. Together we learn and grow and we will preserve the future of Ukraine – a Ukraine that belongs in the heart of Europe.”

UNICEF Deputy Representative Programmes OiC, Emmanuelle Abrioux:

“The disruption to education for school-aged children and preschoolers in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on their learning and holistic development. The rehabilitation of schools and kindergartens, as accessible, inclusive, and safe spaces for children, with properly equipped air raid shelters, is essential to help get children back into classrooms and spaces to learn, play and engage with their peers. The support from the European Union through UNICEF is playing a vital role in helping to realize the right to education for every child and in developing Ukraine’s human capital.”

Background information

The All-Ukrainian communication campaign “Together We Learn & Grow” launched on September 27, 2024, and will run until January 2025, covering all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories. The campaign will feature numerous educational events, expert discussions, meetings with representatives and beneficiaries of EU programmes and projects, and press tours.

Media partners are: 1+1, ICTV, and Espresso channels, Ukrainska Pravda.

For more information on EU’s support for education in Ukraine and Ukrainian youth visit eu4ukraine.eu. To learn more about the “Together We Learn & Grow” communication campaign and its events follow the pages of the EU Delegation to Ukraine on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

Contacts:

Tetiana Voronina, media expert, EU Project Communicating EU for Ukrainians (CEU4U), which is being implemented by Ecorys, tvoronina9@gmail.com, +38 067 501 11 83