Free classes for the children who missed many classes and fell behind in their studies due to the war
Since the full-scale Russian aggression started, thousands of Ukrainian children have lost access to education. Supported by their parents and teachers, many of these kids could continue learning. However, some schools are completely destroyed or are located in occupied territories, and many students do not have the opportunity to continue their schooling at the moment. To help at least some of these children to catch up on the missed classes and reduce psychological pressure, NGO “Smart Osvita” together with the ChildFund Deutschland (Children Fund of Germany), “Tabletochki” and Private School “Atlantika” started the project “School without Walls.”
About the project: “School without Walls” helps children who didn’t have access to online schooling otherwise, as well as those who cannot study online on their own. They have small groups of students and follow a unique curriculum with advanced English classes. Children also have all the regular classes based on the National Standard program to enable them to continue at any Ukrainian school on September 1 and keep up with their peers. In addition to the regular classes, their program also includes a weekly session with a psychologist. Parents were able to receive feedback from teachers and a psychologist regarding studying their children’s progress and mental health. If necessary, the school provides official documents to list all classes that each student completed, their grades, and the number of hours spent in each category. Totally 154 children took part in this project. We also helped Ukrainian teachers who lost their work because of the war. 36 teachers from different regions of Ukraine brought “School without Walls” to life.
The project aims to help children who cannot continue learning at their schools fill educational gaps and reduce stress. These are children who live on the occupied territories; whose schools and homes have been destroyed; children of medical and social workers and military personnel; children from big families and foster homes; those who went abroad or were forced to leave their hometowns but haven’t started school in their new place.
Term: April–June 2022
According to UNICEF, 4.5 million children were forced to leave their homes because of russian military aggression, which is more than 60% of all Ukrainian children. Unfortunately, each of these children has their own sad story. We want to share the story of Zoya from Mariupol, who studied at “School without the Walls”. So, we are publishing the full letter from her mother, Olena.
“Hello!
My name is Olena, and first of all, I want to thank “ChildFund” and “Tabletochky” foundations for creating “School without walls” and giving my daughter Zoya the opportunity to study at Atlantika School for free till the end of June.
We are from Mariupol… A few months ago Zoya was studying at a modern school with a good teacher and dozens of friends. She had her room in a cozy house, attended dance classes, read a lot, and learned to program.
She lost it all since the war started. When she woke up on February 24 to the sound of the explosion and learned the news, she cried at the thought that she might have to leave our home and the city.
Despite the shelling we were constantly hearing, I tried to maintain something that would resemble her everyday life and create an environment for her to study.
Somehow I managed to do so till March 6 when an MLRS missile struck directly into the roof of our small house. The house was destroyed, and it was a miracle that we survived.
Zoya lost not just her home, but even the theoretical possibility to return to her usual life one day.
Then came multiple days that merged into one and resembled each other – days that we spent in the basement without light, water, gas, internet or phone connection. We will remember those days till the end of our lives. I won’t be able to forget my girl sitting in the basement with the candle lit as she was doing her school assignments to keep herself distracted from the nightmare around her. Children should do their assignments at school instead of being safe and warm.
We were able to survive for the second time when we escaped from Mariupol at our peril without an officially announced “green corridor.” Currently, we are living in a little village. Since we came here, I have tried to create an environment for Zoya that would resemble her everyday life and online or homeschooling. Her last class at school was on February 23, and I wanted her to complete her 4th grade.
I am happy that I encountered the information about Atlantica School on Facebook. I enrolled my daughter straight away. I liked the advanced program that the school offered in English, other classes, and the weekly sessions with a psychologist they promised.
To be honest, Zoye’s first week was tough. It was hard for her to get used to her new teacher and students, and she was constantly comparing them to her school friends from Mariupol. She recalled the life that she had lost. The new school had new rules that she had to get used to. Simple questions that she was asked about – Where do you live? Do you have your own room? – they now always have two answers – before and after.
Zoya is gradually getting used to her new school and getting rid of the apathy she developed after we had to leave our city.
Because of the war, we lost a significant part of what we were used to. However, thanks to this “School without Walls,” my daughter still has access to quality education – at least some piece of her previous life. I hope she will improve her English knowledge over the next few months. Maybe it will contribute to her future success.
I hope the ”School without Walls” will continue next year and I can enroll Zoya again. This and similar projects are truly important for children during the challenging war period.”
Partners:
- ChildFund Deutschland;
- “Tabletochki”;
- Private School “Atlantika”.
