July 22nd, 2022

By Joseph Nichols,

I first came to Ukraine in 2014 to help assess transportation infrastructure, health-care facilities, and other technologies. In the eight years I lived/worked in the country my days were filled with equipment training, language training, and project management. As I enter year nine it’s all still part of the job. I’ve been bouncing around Ukraine for the past four weeks, still “counting things”, still wondering (and trying to calculate) if those village bridges will hold British tanks..

July has been difficult month in Ukraine. Hopes for a quick end to the conflict are fading, as are the hopes of many IDP’s that they can return to their homes anytime soon. As the weather turns into summer it is difficult to stay comfortable inside buildings for both students and teachers. It’s a time for many families to make decisions. It is not expected that the conflict will allow the upcoming school-year to function even close to normal. Buildings have been damaged throughout the country, the heating systems have been damaged, heating fuel supplies are almost totally absent, and administrative systems are not functioning in most of the country.

In the western regions, though not as impacted by physical damage, the sheer number of people that have sought safety have overwhelmed social support structure. Currency devaluation has made teaching salaries untenable. The greatest impact, however, comes from having families divided. Men between the age of 18 – 60 cannot leave the country and many have not accompanied their wives and children in the western cities. Millions of women and children have left the country and struggle in neighboring countries where the general cost of living is substantially higher.

I know that all this is not new information for you, nor is it expected to improve anytime soon.

What is our goal with the “Kid’s Program”?

• 1. To provide a safe platform for children and young adults to continue to have structure (if just minimal) in their daily life. To have tasks and to accomplish them. To have a place to talk to their peers who are in the same situation with the same difficulties. To help them understand that they are not alone.
• 2. To provide a platform for parents to communicate with other parents to exchange ideas, concerns, opportunities, and sources of help with each other.
• 3. To provide a venue where dangers beyond the war might be identified. We have had direct involvement in situations such as physical and emotional abuse, food scarcity, medical emergencies, and human-trafficking.
• 4. To provide a venue for medical and dental professionals to perform assessments.
• 5. To provide language lessons for all family members that is necessary to secure jobs in neighboring countries that are offering significant social benefits to Ukrainian refugees (English, Polish, Italian, German). It should be noted that these language skills are required in most EU countries.
• 6. To provide a source of income to displaced teachers. Without retaining the teachers within Ukraine will be a significant “brain-drain” that would take a generation to remedy.

We have received generous donations from individuals and have offers of refurbished computers, school supplies, hygiene products (this is a huge problem – especially for the older children). Even IKEA has offered children’s desks and chairs. These donations go a long way in a country such as Ukraine. Prior to the war the average teacher’s salary was about $510 per month. Compared to the United States the cost-of-living variance in Ukraine was about 45% making the monthly salary to about $1100. Though teachers’ salaries are higher than the average salary in Ukraine ($285) it is still a subsistence living.

IDP’s currently receive about $70 per month in government aid….. our program supplements this aid up to about $200 a month. The Kid’s Program currently has 11 teachers (paid), 25 volunteers, 2 dentists that visit monthly, doctors’ visits are currently on a “as available” basis.

The Kid’s Program serves all regardless of language, religion, ethnicity, race, income, or abilities. We endeavor to limit political hate speech.

I will have an additional update this weekend.