Ukraine rebuilds frontline schools, restoring education for 15,000 children

In the Kharkiv‑region village of Bezruky, a school damaged early in the war was rebuilt by the UN’s infrastructure agency UNOPS with European Union funding, allowing more than 15,000 children in the frontline area to return to classrooms. The renovation includes reinforced windows and a repurposed basement that now serves as a shelter and gallery.

The project also supports a new curriculum delivered by UNESCO and funded by the Global Partnership for Education and Ukraine’s education ministry. Health services are bolstered by UNFPA and EU assistance, enabling mothers such as Anastasiia from Donetsk to give birth in protected maternity wards. The International Labour Organization’s Nanny School has trained 80 women to care for young children, with nearly half finding employment, while UN Women’s She Drives programme helped Oksana become a bus driver on one of Kryvyi Rih’s longest routes. Hospital director Hanna Makarenko in Zaporizhzhia highlighted the broader impact of these initiatives on community resilience.