THE DELIVERY THAT PROTECTED THE FUTURE

Education Kits by bus | Ukraine
Ten-year-old Yan* has barely known a normal school year. First COVID, then war.
Air-raid alerts stop lessons. Schools have been damaged or destroyed.
Families have been displaced again and again.
But one delivery was determined to reach him.

Photography: Iva Sidash/ Save the Children 

YAN’S STORY

Yan,* 10, and his brother Maksym*, 13, have been forced to flee their home several times, leaving behind the school where they felt safe and belonged.

By fourth grade, I was totally burned out from online learning. I’d always rather go to school in person than do it online.
– Yan*

Since the war began, children in Ukraine have endured an average of 4,000 hours of air-raid alerts.

That’s more than five and a half months of continuous alerts.

Yan*, 10, and his brother Maksym*, 13, carrying their Save the Children backpacks containing school kits, Dnipro, Ukraine. Credit: Iva Sidash/ Save the Children

THE JOURNEY

This delivery almost never happened.

The warehouse storing the kits was hit by a strike.

“Immediately after the first strike on our warehouse, we weren’t sure whether we would be able to carry out the planned delivery at all... Fortunately, the Education Kits were unharmed.”
– Stanislav, Supply Chain Manager

Then the journey continued.

“We assess the risks carefully and follow safety measures, but stopping the delivery is not an option for children.” – Stanislav

Save the Children staff member, Anastasiia, packs school kits into boxes in a warehouse that was damaged by shelling in Dnipro, Ukraine
Boxes containing school kits and essential education supplies are unpacked from a van, Dnipro, Ukraine
Save the Children Education Officer, Polina, carries school kits and essential education supplies, Dnipro, Ukraine

WHAT WAS DELIVERED?

A Save the Children school kit backpack and its contents, including stationary and books, Dnipro, Ukraine , image

At first glance, it was a backpack.

Inside were notebooks, pencils, paints, modelling clay, a water bottle and even a built-in phone charger port.

Everything a child needs to learn. 

Yan*, 10, looks at items in his Save the Children backpack, containing a school kit, in a park in Dnipro, Ukraine , image

For children living through war, these kits mean routine in uncertain times, creativity in difficult circumstances, and a sense of belonging when home, school and community have all been disrupted. 

A SHELTER CLASSROOM

The kits were handed out underground, in an air-raid shelter.

When schools become targets, learning finds a way.

“School quietly vanishes. It just stops. I figured kids can wait a few days for some things. But they can’t wait years to learn how to read.”
– Alla, Education Officer

Maksym*, 13, and Yan*, 10, helped by their mother Vlada*, write in workbooks they received in school kits, delivered by Save the Children to a shelter in Dnipro, Ukraine
Save the Children Education Officer, Alla, sorts essential education supplies for school kits, Dnipro, Ukraine

YAN TODAY

In the shelter, Yan, Maksym and the other children opened their backpacks and started using them straight away. 

“This is about helping them to keep learning and feeling that someone cares about them.”
– Stanislav

Essential education supplies that are part of the Save the Children school kits, delivered to conflict affected areas in Dnipro, Ukraine

ONE DELIVERY.
A FUTURE WORTH HOLDING ONTO.

A backpack won’t end a war. But it can help a child keep learning through one. 

Even a strike on our warehouse couldn’t stop this delivery. 

“A backpack might seem trivial in a warzone. But to a kid who lost their home, it’s a voice telling them their future still matters. Thank you to everyone who refuses to look away.” – Alla 

£29 could give a child like Yan a backpack full of everything they need to keep learning. 

This Christmas, make one more delivery that matters: Donate now

Your donation will help children in the UK and around the world, wherever the need is greatest. 

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