In 2023, we joined the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine’s “School, We’re Together” initiative and launched our own “Back to School” campaign. Within it, we began raising funds to equip shelters and rebuild schools and kindergartens in areas where constant shelling limits children’s access to education.
One of the key goals was the only surviving school in Snihurivka, Mykolaiv region. Its large civil-defense shelter became our focus — we wanted to turn it into a fully functioning underground school so that children could keep learning safely despite the frontline being not far away.
The project began with opening the EduHive learning center, supported by Plan International, in one of the shelter’s rooms. But we didn’t stop there — we continued raising funds to renovate the rest of the underground space.
In the end, the fundraising for Snihurivka was supported by actor and comedian Zhenia Yanovych, as well as Oschadbank and Visa. Rehau and the Embassy of Lithuania helped replace the lyceum’s windows. Rehau also donated furniture: desks, chairs, cabinets, and even basketball hoops for the school.
- Location Mykolaiv region
- Students 1000+
- Funded ₴3,000,000
- Result an "underground school" has been set up
Three out of Snihurivka’s four schools were destroyed by missile attacks.
Lyceum No. 3 was the only building that remained intact enough to host offline learning. It had a solid civil-defense shelter with many rooms — reliable, safe, and suitable for turning into a space where children could both hide during air raids and keep studying.
So, within the summer “Back to School” campaign, we started raising funds to renovate the shelter — and we succeeded thanks to our partners. By the end of 2023, the freshly renovated rooms were ready to welcome children with a Christmas tree and gifts from supporters.
was raised by Zhenia Yanovych.
The actor, comedian, and TV host became the campaign ambassador and launched a fundraiser for the shelter at Snihurivka Lyceum No. 3.
He and his team filmed a special episode of his show “20:23” in Mykolaiv region, where the school is located. The episode featured Ms. Viktoriia — the principal of another local school destroyed by Russian forces — and Ivan, a student from Lyceum No. 3.
was raised by Oschadbank and Visa.
Inspired by Zhenia Yanovych’s special episode, the partners launched their own campaign to support the lyceum. For one month, within the “Give Children a Shelter” initiative, Oschadbank transferred 1 UAH from every Visa card transaction to renovating the shelter in Snihurivka. As a result, the partners managed to double the amount Zhenia raised.
