Make Education not War
Support Ukrainian teachers and students
Ukrainian teachers have shown astonishing courage and resilience by continuing to teach despite facing the most extraordinary circumstances in the ongoing conflict.
These dedicated teachers, who until recently were living a normal life just like teachers anywhere, now find themselves working through unthinkable times, but with a powerful determination to continue their students’ education.
“I work remotely and have 20 lessons per week since our school started working with children in March. We continue to teach as we did in quarantine, but with the suspension of the lesson at the request of the airstrike siren. The war has made adjustments to the lives of teachers, but it does not stop the learning process in Ukrainian schools… My family was forced to leave the country. But both I and my wife, a geography teacher, continue to work with our students remotely as best we can.”– Senior Teacher, Kyiv
These teachers urgently need support.
Global Action Plan, through our international network, has been supporting up to 5,000 schools in Ukraine, and we are now launching a campaign to support Ukrainian teachers with their practical and psychological needs.
Please support this campaign to keep these teachers working.
DONATE NOW TO SUPPORT UKRAINIAN TEACHERS
(JustGiving page hosted by our UK partner organisation, GAP UK)
“Today was an amazing day, I conducted the class during an air raid. I wasn’t sure whether anyone would join, but I was greatly amazed to see 21 out of 30 students. Five of them were in shelters, others in villages or abroad. I have amazing students! They want to communicate, they switched on their cameras, they were active.”
– Olena, Chemistry teacher, Ukraine
“Fortunately, I managed to escape… We are trying to improve online learning. Of our 98 teachers, 40 do not have computers, only telephones. And many were forced to flee, leaving all their belongings at home.”
– Teacher working in Irpin and living in Bucha
The critical education support that is desperately needed for teachers includes:
- Facilitated support: ESD guidance and pedagogical support provided and/or coordinated by GAP International Ukrainian associates Galina Gupan and Olena Zarichna and other relevant facilitators.
- Saturday schools: for displaced young people, many of whom will be enrolled in schools in a different country, a series of Saturday schools, delivered in the Ukrainian language on important topics such as: critical thinking, open communication, integration into a new community, diversity as a resource, and other topics and content developed to respond to teachers’ needs.
- Drop-in support sessions: formal and informal sessions to enable teachers and (importantly) young people to connect, share experiences, ask questions, and benefit from the support of and connection with their peers and fellow Ukrainians.
- Trauma support: given the terrible circumstances there is an immediate need for trauma support for teachers, both for themselves but also to enable them to support their pupils. A second step would be to offer, through the teachers, access to similar, professionally facilitated online group support for pupils, both those in Ukraine and those who have fled.
- Website and learning resources: development of a dedicated space on the Transform Our World website as a central place for Ukrainian teachers and their pupils to come to, collaborate and access a range of educational resources.
“Lessons start with “Good morning, we’re from Ukraine,” because sometimes half of the class’s children work from abroad or from remote villages; everyone needs attention and support, understanding of their fears and the ability to get out of them.” – Natalia, Teacher of Ukrainian Language and Literature
Please donate to help these teachers continue doing this extraordinary job in extraordinary times.
DONATE NOW TO SUPPORT UKRAINIAN TEACHERS
(page hosted by our UK partner organisation, GAP UK)
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