Ukraine Emergency Appeal

ORT has provided more than $1.5m of aid during the conflict, but the most pressing needs for our teachers, students and their families have changed over the course of recent weeks.

Our current priorities are:

• Food aid
• Financial support for families and teachers
• Safe transport for students
• Ongoing security needs

Since students returned to school it has become clear that there is an urgent need to provide food assistance for students. Food shortages have become commonplace due to the halting of production, transportation difficulties and the closure of businesses across the country. We are finding that up to 70 percent of our children require up to two meals per day. At schools with in-person learning we estimate up to 2,000 meals are needed every day.

Thanks to the financial assistance of ORT and our leading donor in the region, staff have started first aid training and taken part in sessions focussing on how to respond to emergencies. Sadly, such emergency situations can include rocket attacks and suspicious packages.

In Kyiv and Chernivtsi, bomb shelters under the schools have been refurbished and also now include evacuation equipment and emergency response kits with items such as fire extinguishers and gas masks.

The next stage involves creating ‘sleeping spaces’ in the shelters, with blankets, sleeping bags, heaters, drinking water supplies and other essentials. Our intention is also to equip every classroom with first aid kits and emergency supplies in case students are stuck in classrooms during an attack.

Teachers in Odesa and Zaporizhzhia have received face-to-face first aid training, with colleagues in Chernivtsi, the Kyiv schools and Bila Tserkva receiving emergency response training. They will soon receive first aid training. Schools have also received online lessons about the danger posed by mines.

We will continue to provide direct financial assistance to ORT families who have been most seriously affected by the collapse of Ukraine’s economy. Teachers will also continue to receive salary assistance from ORT. The costs of providing ongoing security at the schools, and safe transport across cities for our students, continue to rise.

Thousands of people require our ongoing support – both to overcome the current challenges, and to prepare for the inevitable long-term difficulties Ukraine faces. Our pledge is to do everything possible to support our students, their families, and our schools and programs for as long as necessary.

Thank you for your help.