The educational platform eKidz.eu and the NGO Ukrainian Smile are implementing an initiative to provide digital resources to schools in frontline zones.
The project is aimed at reducing social and educational inequality among Ukrainian children. Pupils of the front-line territories of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions got access to digital education. This will allow children to acquire communication skills and improve interpersonal relationships.
The initiative is part of the project "Providing digital tools to overcome gaps in education, socio-emotional development and mental health assessment for the most vulnerable 35,000 children in rural areas", which is implemented by the "100% Life" BO and with the NGO Ukrainian Smile and for financial support of the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine. As part of the project, Ukraine received 100 mobile classrooms for the eastern and southern regions of the country. Each mobile classroom contains 8 laptops for students, one professional device for the teacher, a set of accessories for children with special educational needs, a digital textbook of Ukrainian literacy, methodological manuals and trainings for teachers, a charging station with a WiFi/LTE router.
NGO Ukrainian Smile is part of the Device Coalition, an association of organizations, companies, governments and philanthropists that provide educational devices to Ukrainian students and teachers who are forced to conduct the educational process online. The work of the Device Coalition was launched in Great Britain on the basis of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation together with the Olena Zelenska Foundation. Through the partnership, Ukrainian ministries aim to ensure equal access to the educational process in the communities most affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The initiative also included training for teachers to help them use these resources effectively. An online seminar "Artificial Intelligence in Action: Innovations for School Education" was also held. During the event, the founder of the eKidz.eu startup Nataliya Tetruyeva emphasized the importance of countering the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war by providing modern digital education tools. Oleksandr Konovalov, co-founder of the artificial intelligence-based translation service Vidby, spoke about Ukrainian achievements in the field of AI. Teachers also learned about the use of artificial intelligence technologies in education, overcoming language gaps among students, conducting mental health screenings and providing psychological assistance.
NGO Ukrainian Smile is very grateful for the support of Denys Krasnikov, founder of the YourKindness Foundation, and Anna Kohanets, director of the Women's Participation Program. Their dedication perfectly aligns with the mission of the NGO, which is honored to have them as partners.