Safe education: Restoration of a school and a shelter construction. Bila Krynytsia, Kherson region

Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Bila Krynytsia village in the Kherson region has been several kilometers from the front line and subjected to constant shelling.

The hostilities significantly damaged the village's critical and social infrastructure, housing stock, and school building, where 362 children studied before the war.



Under these conditions, education could only be conducted online, especially since almost half of the schoolchildren had left the village.
The community is implementing two projects allowing children to return to safe offline learning.
 

Project #1. Restoration of the school building and gym

 

After the liberation of the right-bank Kherson region, the Velyko Oleksandrivska community, which includes Bila Krynytsia, began rebuilding the school in the village independently. The building's roof has now been restored, and a working project for overhauling the premises has been prepared.

Project in DREAM - https://bit.ly/4dyXdah

Project #2. Construction of a school shelter

In 2023-24, 280 children graduated from Bilokrynytsia school. To ensure a safe learning environment, the community has decided to build a school shelter. Part of the funds were allocated from the local budget, and the project will also receive funding from a state subvention distributed through the DREAM ecosystem.
The shelter will be designed for 300 people. Construction has already begun, and all work is going according to plan. Therefore, starting in the 2025 academic year, we plan to resume full-time education, - said school principal Hanna Perezva.



According to the project, the shelter will be insulated and have an autonomous heating system from a heat pump, solar panels to provide additional (backup) power and a drinking water tank. Barrier-free principles will be considered: a universal sanitary and hygienic room will be built for people with disabilities, and tactile navigation and a lift will be provided.
 

- The construction of the shelter will provide an opportunity to study not only for children from Bila Krynytsia but also from neighboring settlements where educational institutions are currently closed due to the destruction, - said Olena Kobeliatska, Head of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Velyka Oleksandrivka Village Council.
 

The total budget of the project is UAH 65.8 million.

Project in DREAM - https://bit.ly/3LUTkkj