Supporting Ukrainian Refugee Children Through Online Learning
Peace Winds has launched an online learning program called “Smart Class” for Ukrainian children who have evacuated to Moldova. As of the end of May, a total of about 250 Ukrainians had fled to the shelters covered by the Peace Winds class, about 100 of whom are children. Many of these refugee children are not attending school in Moldova in hopes of returning home to Ukraine as soon as they are able.
Many children are taking online classes on smartphones at the evacuation centers, but sometimes this is difficult due to the nature of the environment which is not conducive to learning. To help solve this problem, Peace Winds has partnered with a local organization, Phoenix, and the international NGO Smart Aid to set up computer rooms inside the shelters and to create the Smart Class learning program. This way, Ukrainian children have a quiet space where they can focus on school.
Although schools in Moldova and Ukraine are on summer vacation until the end of August, Smart Class is available to children as a summer school program. In the future, students will also be able to take classes in English and Romanian, which will likely be necessary for life outside Ukraine.
Many children have told us, “I don’t have the opportunity to use a computer at the evacuation center, so it’s fun to participate in Smart Class.”
Thank you to our local partners for helping Peace Winds implement this project, and we look forward to continuing to maintain close relationships with our Ukrainian beneficiaries to best meet their needs.
