As of September 1, 2026, KSE Foundation, with the support of donors, has equipped 121 shelters in schools and kindergartens across 14 regions of Ukraine. As a result, more than 50,000 children have been able to return to in-person education.
In 2022, KSE Foundation launched the “ZAKHYSTOK: Safe Education” program with the mission of restoring Ukrainian children’s right to in-person education, which they lost due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Since the program began, KSE Foundation, with the support of donors, has equipped 121 shelters in schools and kindergartens across 14 regions of Ukraine. Of these, the Foundation renovated 100 shelters with the support of 16 Ukrainian and international partners, while another 21 were equipped as part of the multi-year MYRP resilience program, supported by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund that supports education for children in emergencies and protracted crises.
“Thanks to the support of our partners, more than 50,000 children across 15 regions of Ukraine are now able to study in person. During air raid alerts, they move to shelters where they can continue the educational process without losing valuable learning time. This has a direct impact on the quality of education: according to Save the Children, during the 2024/2025 academic year, air raid alerts interrupted one in every five lessons on average. For us, equipping school shelters is a practical way to preserve children’s access to in-person education even during the war,” says Maryna Borysenko, Director of Programs and Implementation at KSE Foundation.
KSE Foundation equips shelters in line with basic safety requirements and creates conditions that allow children to stay there during air raid alerts. The spaces are dry and free from mold, and are equipped with sanitary facilities, ventilation, and lighting.
The largest number of shelters were equipped by KSE Foundation in:
- Kyiv region — 24
- Dnipropetrovsk region — 18
- Chernihiv region — 15
- Kirovohrad region — 13
- Sumy region — 12
Donors play a crucial role in scaling the program. Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine is one of the program’s largest partners, supporting the renovation of 38 shelters. Other supporters include XTX Markets, Vodafone Ukraine, Ukrposhta, Olena Zelenska Foundation, OKKO, Dragon Capital, Chernovetskyi Investment Group, Arzinger, Kyivstar, and Education Cannot Wait.
Together with its partners, KSE Foundation continues to work to ensure that education in Ukraine remains a space for growth, resilience, and future opportunities even during the war.
You can support the renovation of school shelters and help us bring more children back to their classrooms here.