Thirty Shelters Across Ukraine, Ten of Them in the Chernihiv Region: the Olena Zelenska Foundation Equips Safe Spaces for Learning
September 2, 2025
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The First Lady of Ukraine, together with the team of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, visited four renovated and equipped shelters in schools and kindergartens in the Chernihiv region. Ten shelters are already operating in the region thanks to the Foundation’s support.
In the conditions of a full-scale war, equipped shelters in schools and kindergartens are a vital necessity. Shelters are especially important for the Chernihiv region—a region that has been under heavy shelling and occupation since the first days of the full-scale invasion by Russia. Despite this, schools and kindergartens are being restored here so that children can continue their learning in a safe environment. For local communities, a well-equipped shelter guarantees that school life can continue even under constant threat.
In total, 30 shelters in schools and kindergartens are now functioning across Ukraine, with their restoration and renovation funded by the Olena Zelenska Foundation. They include 22 shelters in schools and 8 in kindergartens in the Poltava, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy regions, and Zaporizhzhia city. Currently, more than 13,000 children use them. Since the beginning of this school year, 13 new shelters have begun their operation.
“During the war, shelters are not a choice but the only possibility for in-person learning and development. Today, when the sound of a siren often replaces the school bell, children have the right to remain students, not just witnesses of war. Every safe and well-equipped space gives them a chance to study, develop, communicate with friends, and feel a sense of normal life,” Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine and founder of the Foundation, noted.
The Olena Zelenska Foundation restores and equips shelters within its focus area of ensuring children’s access to education and development. This project was launched in 2024 and remains a priority today because protective shelters are the only way to return students to in-person learning.
The restored shelters are designed with areas for learning, rest, and play. The facilities are fully accessible: entrances are fitted with special mechanisms for wheelchair access. In kindergartens, separate rooms with beds for rest are arranged. Such shelters have a dual purpose: both lessons and extracurricular activities are held here.
Since the beginning of the new school year, students have received a series of practical trainings in the restored shelters. Specialists of the State Emergency Service, the National Police of Ukraine, and emergency medicine centers taught children the rules of mine and fire safety, traffic, and pre-medical care.
“We realize that shelters for schools and kindergartens are not just a construction site. This is a comprehensive solution that allows children to continue learning even in the most challenging conditions. This is especially noticeable in the frontline regions, where every renovated shelter guarantees that the school year can occur and be safe. It is thanks to our partners that we equip shelters where children need them the most,” Nina Horbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, emphasized.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps—Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Ukraine Andrejs Pildegovičs, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Finland in Ukraine, Deputy Head of Mission Merja Lahtinen and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Portugal in Ukraine, and Deputy Head of Mission Pedro Forbes Lemos—joined the visit.
The four shelters visited in the Chernihiv region were renovated and equipped with the support of the Government of the Åland Islands, the Latvian foundation Ziedot.lv, and Bosch Group.
As part of the trip, the First Lady of Ukraine and the Olena Zelenska Foundation’s team also visited the educational space of the State Institution “School of Superheroes” in Chernihiv city, which has been fully operational since the beginning of this academic year.
It was established thanks to funding provided by the Olena Zelenska Foundation, with the support of the Camões Institute of Portugal. During this year, the educational space, which operates on the premises of the regional children’s hospital, held lessons for 400 children. The space has three classrooms—for primary, middle, and high school students, as well as a mental health room and a separate area for preschool activities.
