Support Children Affected by the War in Ukraine

Since the onset of the war in February 2022, GFC has approved more than 140 grants, totaling $3 million, supporting 76 grassroots partners in Ukraine and neighboring countries, including Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Serbia. The generous and flexible funding for the Ukraine Emergency Fund has played a crucial role in providing substantial grants to local organizations working directly to assist children and families affected by the ongoing crisis.

Our grantee partners are utilizing their grant support from GFC to strengthen and expand access to education for Ukrainian children, including those internally displaced and those residing in neighboring countries. The Ukrainian education system continues to face severe challenges due to the constant bombings of educational facilities, and online education is frequently disrupted by electricity shortages and blackouts. As a result, many of our partners are now supplying batteries and alternative power sources to ensure children can continue learning remotely. Partners are maintaining safe and secure educational spaces by winterizing, renovating, and repurposing existing structures to serve as temporary or long-term classrooms. Grant funding is also being used to cover a wide range of staff roles, including formal educators, tutors, counseling support, and after-school coordinators.

In addition, partners are allocating a portion of their grants to provide remote learning devices (such as tablets and laptops) to children and families. They are also developing curricula for both online and in-person lessons that can be quickly adapted to fast-changing crisis settings. In recent conversations with partner staff, they’ve reported that this approach has helped to reduce disruptions in education while providing safe spaces where children can engage in both formal education and informal learning activities. facilitated virtual check-ins and in-person meetings in Kyiv, enabling partners to come together to discuss priorities, and identify opportunities for collaboration.