By Oksana Makarenko | Co-founder of NGO Smart Osvita
There is an ongoing war in Ukraine. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, more than 1,618 children in Ukraine have suffered the results of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. As of the morning of August 20th, at least 503 children were killed and more than 1,115 haveinjuries of various severity. On September 1st, 2023, Ukrainian schools traditionally started the educational process. The reality of the war in Ukraine comes with the threat of bombing, when almost everyday children and teachers across the country have to spend several hours in bomb shelters that accommodate simultaneously large number of children. Under these conditions, teachers find it extremely difficultto be attentive to everyone while not conducting classes. Moreover, during air raids, children experience high levels of stress and uncertainty. In response to this crisis, Smart Osvita received more than 300 urgent requests from schools of Ukraine to help equip bomb shelters with the necessary resources.
In cooperation with psychologists, teachers and designers, we have developed boxes that are called "Chest for Shelter." Each box is designed to be simultaneously used by 100 schoolchildren and the chests are not disposable. Each one contains: blankets, flashlights, rugs, anti-stressors, markers, paper, wax pencils, scissors, books and board games. Some components of the boxes differ for elementary, middle and high schools, though. The age-specific unitsare books, board games etc.Special attention was paid to the quality of things that were chosen for the boxes, since they are designed for frequent use by a large number of children.
Since the beginning of the year,15 boxes have already been presented to various schools of Ukraine and thanks to your donations received on the GlobalGiving platform, we were able to supply school 75 in Kyiv with one more Chest for Shelter. More than 140 children and teachers send you theirHello and feel thankful for your help. Now they can warm up, play and calm down in the bomb shelter during the bombing. According to teachers, these things really help children feel less stressed during their stay in school shelters and allowto spend time with benefits for kids.
Support of the education and emotional well-being of these children today can bring far-reaching benefits. In the long term, this will contribute to the formation of a sustainable and educated generation that will play a vital role in Ukraine's recovery and future development.
We provide a report on the funds that are already spent and seek help from all those who have a kind heart and feel interested in helping.In the periof of four months with the GlobalGiving platform we managed to raise $84 for this project. Given that the price of one "Chest for Shelter" is $800, we added funds from other sources and delivered the necessary things to theabove mentioned school. The achievement is not tremendous as another 284 schools in Ukraine are waiting in line for the "Chest to Shelter", but every cent makes difference and we appreciate every good intention. We are grateful for every cent donated to children to make them feel safe and hopeful for their future.
With love and gratitude - NGO Smart osvita
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