Hope Spot 6 – You and Ukraine – underground

This last week there’s been lots of shouting about Ukraine.

So much shouting, you may not hear what you are doing in Ukraine, through ALWS.

Especially because your work is underground.

So, come with me and see what you are quietly and humbly doing for children like this class in heavily bombed Kharkiv, and hear some different voices …

Photo: LWF/ L. Gillabert

Your new underground schools in Ukraine

Your ALWS partner in Ukraine – LWF, working with the UNHCR and local partners, is building underground schools for 3,245 students and 581 school staff.

You can see why these schools are needed when you read the facts:

Since Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine,

more than 3,600 schools have been

damaged, and nearly 400 destroyed.

In Kharkiv alone, 40,000 students have been affected.

For many children, this will be the first time in three years they will have ‘normal’ face-to-face learning.

The new classrooms are equipped with modern furniture, learning materials, and electronic devices to accommodate students of different ages.

What’s vital for these schools in a war-zone is that they also include recreational areas and disability-friendly infrastructure, to support both education and psychosocial well-being.

The new underground schools follow the conversion of underground railway stations to classrooms, also supported by our ALWS partner LWF.

You can see the impact on children, when you listen to these girls:

“It’s so exciting! I haven’t been in school for so long.

I haven’t seen my friends for so long.

I really like seeing my teachers!”

Ukraine is the focus of the ALWS Walk My Way in Brisbane on 10 May.

This is part of the ALWS 75 years of service Thanksgiving, aiming to support 75,000 children with school, food and safety. On average, an investment of $25 per child can help provide school, food and safety. Find out more.

Thank you for being such a vital part of everything you’ve read in today’s HOPE Spot. This is why you are a blessing ALWayS!

While the underground Lutheran-supported schools in Ukraine may be different to Lutheran schools in Australia …

… education has always been a critical part of Lutheran Church ministry, knowing education is a blessing for life, that no one can ever take away.

You can see this when you read what Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv, says about the underground schools you support:

“The war has changed everything. Instead of opening modern schools, we are forced to create educational spaces underground. This is not a choice, but a necessity.

“These students no longer have to hear their teachers’ voices through a screen. They are together again, talking, making friends, laughing.

This is priceless, because school is not only about knowledge, but also about emotions, socialization, and support.

This is a chance to save a generation—to help them grow strong, educated, and ready to rebuild their country. We are grateful to everyone who is helping us give children a sense of normalcy despite these difficult circumstances.”

Another voice worth listening to is Barnabas Szatmari, LWF Country Representative in Ukraine:

“This shelter school provides a safe learning space

and restores a sense of normalcy,

allowing children to grow and learn despite the war.

This is a collective achievement —

one that gives children hope for a brighter future.”

No one knows what will happen next in Ukraine.

What we do know is that you and I, working quietly behind the scenes – and under the ground – can have a direct positive impact on the lives of children who have lost so much, and suffered so long, and too often have been forgotten.

Your kindness is critical …

… and that’s why I am going to shout too – THANK YOU! You are a blessing ALWayS.

PS: Please consider joining your local Walk My Way to help provide not just school, but also food and safety, for children in Ukraine … and in other places the world has forgotten, like South Sudan, Somalia and Nepal. Our goal in this 75^th year of ALWS it support 75,000 children – one child at a time. Thank you!