Help Ukraine’s Children Learn in Safety

Aim

Supporting workers at two schools in Pavlohrad and Kryvyi Rih to help children learn and play in safety.

Total raised = £6,553
This Crowdfunder = £1,553
Donation from ASLEF union = £5,000

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign has received urgent requests from VPONU (the Free Trade Union of Education and Science) and NGPU (the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers) to support two underground schools in Ukraine: Pavlohrad Gymnasium No 11 and Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium 34.

Every morning in the frontline cities of Pavlohrad and Kryvyi Rih, children walk through the school gates and head straight underground. Lessons take place in basements with no windows, no natural light, and limited space, for up to seven hours a day. To make these rooms feel more like classrooms, the children have painted the concrete walls with flowers and bright colours — small efforts in an environment shaped by war.

They study underground because their cities face near‑daily drone and missile attacks, and the shelters are the only places where lessons can continue safely. Across Ukraine 3,798 educational institutions have been bombed and 365 completely destroyed since the full‑scale invasion began. In April 2025, a Russian missile struck a children’s playground in Kryvyi Rih, killing nine children.

Many of the children now studying in these basements are refugees from other parts of Donbas, displaced by advancing Russians and heavy bombardment. Many have parents serving on the frontline, and have lost family members to the war.

They want what all children deserve: the chance to learn, to play, and to grow up with hope.

This appeal will support Pavlohrad Gymnasium No 11 and Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium 34, two schools in particular need.

How your donation will help

We have a set an initial target of £10,000, but hope to raise substantially more, including through donations from unions. Please ask your union or other organisation to donate too.

Your support will provide essential resources that allow children to continue learning safely during air‑raid alerts:

• Laptops, computers, whiteboards and interactive boards for lessons held in shelters
• Energy‑saving, blast‑resistant windows so children can safely use their library
• Sports equipment — basketballs, volleyballs and outdoor toys — to help pupils stay active and healthy
• Educational games and creative kits for primary‑age children learning in cramped underground rooms
• English literature and educational books to broaden horizons and support language learning
• Toys, puzzles and craft sets to bring moments of relief to children spending long hours in bunkers
• Winter equipment to keep basement classrooms warm and usable during the colder months

In addition to supporting the schools, we will also be providing aid to:

• The Mining Electromechanical Professional College of Kryvyi Rih National University
• The medical workers’ union in Donbas, with an ambulance
• The 10th Mine Rescue Squad, with a pick-up truck to support emergency operations

Teachers, staff and their unions are doing everything they can, but the needs far exceed what local communities can meet alone.

Children in Donbas dream of peaceful skies and classrooms filled with light instead of sirens. With your solidarity, we can help them stay in school, continue learning, and hold onto hope.

Please donate today to help Ukraine’s children learn, grow, and build the future they deserve.

Funding method

All or nothing – this project will only receive pledges if it reaches its target of £10,000 by 22nd July 2026 at 6:55am