10-year-old Margaryta with other children are sitting at the shelter of the kindergarten, where UNICEF has delivered new generators.

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Providing generators to educational facilities in Ukraine is helping kids continue their education amidst war.

After living through air raid sirens, shelling, power outages, and freezing temperatures, life has completely changed for the children and teachers at a kindergarten in Borodianka, Ukraine - all thanks to new generators from UNICEF.

UNICEF is providing generators to educational facilities in Ukraine to ensure that children continue to have access to education.

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"Without heating in winter, schools and kindergartens simply can't work,” says Oleksandr Tyshchenko, chief engineer of the Borodianka Heat Supply utility company. “If UNICEF hadn't provided us with generators, some educational facilities in Borodianka would have been closed, so children would have had to stay at home.”

Children sheltering in the kindergarten boiler room.

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Children sheltering in the kindergarten boiler room.


Thanks to donors, we've also delivered winter clothing, boots, and blankets. A stable supply of electricity and winter supplies means the kindergarten’s boiler room doors can remain open, keeping its students and teachers safe and warm during the cold winter months.

10-year-old Margaryta and her classmates.

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10-year-old Margaryta and her classmates.


"When the air raid siren occurs, there are explosions or planes are flying around, a bomb can be dropped and it can cause damage. That's why we always go to the shelter.” recalls 10-year-old Margaryta who has become all too familiar with sheltering in basements after almost a year of war.

"I remember getting ready for school when the war started … I asked my mom what that meant, and she said that war means constant shelling.” Margaryta, 10

Viktoria, the head of the kindergarten in Borodianka.

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Viktoria, the head of the kindergarten in Borodianka.


The head of the kindergarten, Viktoria, said “Since the local school is closed, and older children have started remote schooling, younger school children come to us. We have 116 kids in the kindergarten and 65 children joined us from the school”.

The children are studying at the shelter of the kindergarten, where UNICEF has delivered new generators

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She added "Most of the children do not have generators at home, so they often spend evenings at home without electricity or heating ... and the kindergarten is the warmest and safest place for children now.”

Thanks to donor support, we’ll continue to deliver throughout this war, winter and beyond.

We’re committed to transparency. To see how we split up expenses and manage our costs, read our annual report or visit UNICEF Open to see a live overview of all our projects.

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UNICEF Aotearoa is a registered charity with the New Zealand Charities Commission (CC35979), making you eligible for a tax refund of up to a third of your donation. All transactions are billed in New Zealand dollars.

UNICEF Aotearoa operates from Level 5, 86 Victoria Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand.