EU, UNDP already rebuilt 42 educational institutions in Ukraine

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with financial support from the European Union (EU), has rebuilt Serhiivskyi Lyceum in the Odesa region, which is the 42nd educational facility under the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project, aimed at restoring war-damaged schools across Ukraine.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to the UNDP website.

“The European Union is deeply committed to ensuring access to education for children, especially in countries affected by war. For Ukraine and its young people, ensuring children's access to education is crucial for a better future. That is why the EU is continuing its humanitarian support to rehabilitate schools damaged by Russian attacks, creating safe and supportive spaces where Ukrainian children can continue to learn and thrive,” Marianna Franco, Head of the EU Humanitarian Aid Office in Ukraine, stressed.

In turn, Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, has highlighted that joint efforts under the EU4UASchools project have already returned more than 14,000 students and teachers to school.

Currently, more than 40 children from 11 neighboring communities, deprived of access to education, are enrolled at the Serhiivskyi Lyceum.

Since 2022, the school has suffered several times from blast waves and shelling affecting the roof, walls and third-floor classrooms. As a result, the students were studying in half-destroyed premises. The work to reconstruct Serhiivskyi Lyceum has included partially replacing the roof, windows and doors, and retrofitting the porch and facade. Classrooms, cabinets and toilets in one wing of the third floor have been fully repaired. The heating system has been renovated and LED lighting has been installed all over the school.

As Ukrinform reported, the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project is being implemented by UNDP in Ukraine, with the financial support from the EU. The project is intended to facilitate light repairs of 66 and re-equip 112 educational facilities in 11 regions of Ukraine: Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Odesa, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Lviv, Kirovohrad and Poltava regions.

Photo: UNDP/Halyna Karpova