Baker Tilly International is delighted and proud to partner with the East Europe Foundation to deliver a new humanitarian project – The Safe School Program – that will provide safety and support to children impacted by the war in Ukraine.
Endorsed by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service and the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, The Safe School Program will select 20 schools in relatively safe regions of Ukraine: Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky, Odesa, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy. Sixteen of these schools will receive a basic shelter package: electric heaters; emergency lights; first aid kits; water coolers and water filters; routers; seating furniture; materials for activities and games with children. In addition, shelters in four select schools (one in each region) will undergo renovation and upgrade to become ‘model’ shelters: they will be visited by educators and authorities from other regions to learn from this experience.
In addition to equipping safe bomb shelters, the Foundation will also develop a free online course for teachers as part of the Program to help educate them on how to conduct classes for children in shelters and provide them with psychological support.
“Children are often the silent casualties in any conflict, and I am delighted that the contributions from our network firms and the personal donations of many hundreds of individuals within them are going a little way to bring some normality to the young people of Ukraine. The Safe School Program is a practical and inspiring idea and I hope other organisations can also get behind our friends at the East Europe Foundation.”
Francesca Lagerberg, CEO of Baker Tilly International
Oleksandr Pochkun, Managing Partner of Baker Tilly Ukraine says, “Our children have to live their daily lives with the awful reality of war. Our main priority is to protect our growing generation by providing them with confidence of security and opportunities to live, to develop and study. This project aligns completely with our values while the meaning that stands behind is much more than just a shelter. It is faith for lots of families in a better future.”
