Helping Ukrainian Children Return to School
Published: Aug 31, 2026 Reading time: 4 minutes Share: Share an articleSince the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has destroyed more than 400* educational institutions in Ukraine. More than 4,000* schools, kindergartens, colleges and universities have also suffered varying degrees of damage.
Despite constant air attacks, children want to meet in classrooms, not online. Face-to-face interaction and a sense of community are important parts of learning. Our work supports access to safe learning environments, helps children catch up on lost learning and reduces barriers to education.
Cosy, well-lit rooms with desks and blackboards look much like ordinary classrooms. The main difference is the absence of windows.
Kharkiv was the first city in Ukraine to build an underground school . A tenth such facility recently opened in the city. Still, almost half of schoolchildren need access to safe, in-person learning.
"It became very dangerous in Kharkiv. We stopped going to school back in second grade, if I remember correctly. And it's amazing to be back at school again," says Anastasiia, a student at Lyceum No. 152, which has moved classes underground.
We fitted out 17 classrooms, along with a recreation area and a medical room. This allows more children to study in a safe environment.
"Parents feel confident their children are safe. They're not afraid of the air raid sirens or the strikes," says Viktoriia Shestopalova, the school's director.
Last autumn and winter, repeated attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure cut power to schools. This affected heating and water supplies.
"We barely made it through last winter—we went 10 to 12 hours a day without electricity," says Olena Serhiienko, Director of a school in Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast.
The school now has a solar power station, battery storage, and new boilers. These systems help the school maintain heating and electricity during power cuts.
"Our neighbourhood is a private housing area. When it's cold at home because there's no electricity and the gas boiler doesn't work, children can come to school, where it's at least 15 to 16 degrees," explains Olena Serhiienko.
For three school years, we've supported children in catching-up on learning lost because of the war. We use our own programme, developed and endorsed by leading Ukrainian universities.
The programme has been updated and adapted several times. This helps ensure that the material remains current and includes recent technologies and effective practices.
"With the help of tutors, we're trying to improve our knowledge, our grades, and to learn better for the future," says 11-year-old Karolina, a student at Novomykolaivka Lyceum No. 2 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The teacher training programme covers two areas: tutoring and inclusive education. This year, primary education was added as a new strand of the tutoring component. More teachers are recognising the need to address learning loss in the early grades.
"Children face difficulties not only in absorbing material, but in socialising and communicating. Our catch-up programme is built on social-emotional learning; it has proven effective worldwide, and has been confirmed by our own experience in Ukraine," says Marharyta Chaika, an Education Expert at People in Need.
Our team has also developed teaching and methodological guides on tutoring, maths, Ukrainian, and English. The maths guide has already been endorsed by Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science. Three more guides are currently going through the approval process.
Children need safe schools, quality education and support for their mental health and wellbeing. Our mobile teams of psychologists and social workers support children in managing stress through individual and group sessions.
We also train teachers to recognise emotional exhaustion, provide psychological first aid to themselves and children, and know when and how to refer a child to a specialist.
Safety, learning, and psychosocial support are three essential components of education during the war.
This school year, we'll continue working across five oblasts: Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk.
We'll support children to catch up on learning, strengthen inclusive education, and work with schools and education authorities to help these approaches continue beyond individual projects. We also plan to renovate four schools in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The war has disrupted many aspects of children's lives in Ukraine. Working with communities, schools and education authorities, we support children to continue learning and prepare for their future.
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