The Olena Zelenska Foundation and the charity foundation of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE Foundation) have started arranging a shelter in one of the lyceums of Kremenchuk in Poltava region.
Almost 1,200 schoolboys and schoolgirls studying at the lyceum, as well as 60 preschoolers from the kindergarten located nearby, will soon receive a renovated and equipped shelter with an area of almost 700 square meters.
Therefore, children will be able to study offline and stay safe and comfortable during air allarms.
“When choosing the first schools for setting up shelters, we were primarily guided by the number of children who will be able to return to offline education. Our priority is large and strong schools in cities and villages. We focused on those regions where there are many IDP children and where offline education is possible at the same time. The city of Kremenchuk repeatedly suffered from the aggressor’s rocket attacks. But the security situation allows children to study at school with shelter. Therefore, the lyceum became one of the first schools in our project,” – said Nina Horbachova, director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
Last year, the Kremenchuk Lyceum worked only online. And schoolchildren met in person only for the presentation of certificates and at subject Olympiads. Then, for safety reasons all activities were held in the small basement of the old school building.
“Our educational institution has a 79-year history of educating gifted youth. For decades, the Lyceum has been training students in mathematical, biological and chemical profiles. But distance learning affects the quality of knowledge acquisition. After a year of online classes, we dream of returning all students to their desks,” – says Tetiana Oderii, director of the Kremenchuk Lyceum.
Currently, repair work has begun in the educational institution: brick partitions are being dismantled in the basement, ventilation and sewerage are being installed. After that, the shelter will make a cement-sand screed on the floor, replace the pipes, paint all surfaces, install lighting and equip toilets, as well as provide furniture.
“A year ago, we set ourselves an important task: to return children to education. The project “ZAKHYSTOK: Safe Education” began with the arrangement of shelters in several rural schools, receiving significant support from Ukrainian businesses. And today, we are simultaneously repairing a dozen shelters, have already returned more than 13,000 schoolchildren to their desks, and are proud to have earned the trust of the incredible team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation. Together, we will return thousands of children to quality education,” – said Maryna Borysenko, head of the KSE Foundation’s restoration department.
The shelter at the Kremenchuk Lyceum is one of the first that the Olena Zelenska Foundation arranges together with the KSE Foundation. The plans include the repair of the first seven shelters in educational institutions of the Poltava, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. This will enable more than 5,000 children to be in shelters equipped in accordance with the requirements of the State Emergency Service during air allarms.
Schools and kindergartens can apply for arrangement of shelter by filling out the form at the link: https://foundation.kse.ua/en/safe-education
