Thanks to Raiffeisen Bank’s contribution, the charity foundation of the Kyiv School of Economics has completed the arrangement of another school: at Lyceum №4 in the city of Khmilnyk of the Vinnytsia region. Raiffeisen Bank remains the largest partner of the KSE Foundation’s “ZAKHYSTOK: Safe Education” initiative.
Lyceum is one of the largest in the city. 976 children study here, 57 of whom are forced internal migrants from the temporarily occupied territories. Another 70 school children come to the lyceum every day from neighboring villages. As of today, the arrangement of the shelter is fully completed and all students have already returned to offline education, because the updated shelter allows it to accommodate 33 classes in one shift.
Last academic year, the lyceum worked in a mixed format: elementary and high school children alternately studied face-to-face and online. The school shelter has not been repaired since the school itself was built in 1983.
“The conditions were really terrible, without repairs, there was mold on the walls, it was difficult to breathe, especially for people with allergies… The premises needed urgent repairs,” – says Halyna Terentieva, deputy director of educational work at Lyceum №4 in Khmilnyk.
The updated shelter is clean and bright: a cement-sand screed was installed here, all surfaces were painted, waterproofing was done so that there was no more dampness in the shelter, the main lighting was replaced and an emergency light was installed, ventilation was arranged and sewage was installed. Also, 60 soft and bright benches were purchased for children.
“Even during the pandemic, our teachers learned to work effectively remotely. During a full-scale war, this became especially useful. However, one of the functions of the school is the socialization of children, so online unequivocally loses to offline: there is no substitute for live communication. Glad that we are returning to school again and feeling safe there. After starting offline education, we immediately see the results – the children are motivated and want to study, they are incredibly missed friends, teachers, and normal “real” life,” – says Halyna Terentieva.
The Lyceum is located in the area with a large number of houses around, so since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the shelter has also been used by local residents – the school notes that the prepared shelters also remain open to neighbors in case of air alarms.
We will remind you that the arrangement of shelters in schools and kindergartens of Ukraine is carried out within the framework of the project “ZAKHYSTOK: Safe Education” from the KSE Foundation. Thanks to this initiative and support of benefactors, thousands of schoolchildren and preschoolers from all over the country have already returned to full-time education. The project supports socially responsible Ukrainian business, international companies and Ukrainians.
Anyone can join the fundraiser. You can make a contribution:
– in the personal account of the Raiffeisen Online application, in the “Payments/Help to Ukrainians” section, click on the Charitable Organization “Kyiv School of Economics Charity Foundation” and make your donation;
– on the KSE Foundation web portal: https://foundation.kse.ua/en/safe-education/
