Remembering Yulia Zdanowska

The first thing I thought about while gathering my thoughts for this year was Yulia Zdanowska. She was 21, a brilliant young mathematician, and a Teach For Ukraine fellow. When the full-scale invasion began, she was in Kharkiv — a city that borders Russia, one of the first to feel the weight of the attack. Yulia could have left. Many did. But she stayed — determined to help, teach, and hold on to hope in the face of horror.

“I’m staying till the end,” she wrote in one of her last messages. Fearless, unshaken, focused only on helping the people in her hometown. I sent a message back, but she never responded. Days later, a Russian missile struck, and her life was gone.

I keep thinking about Yulia. About what she stood for. About the students she didn’t get to teach and the future she didn’t get to shape. And I keep thinking about how, in so many ways, Yulia’s story represents what’s at stake for Ukraine’s future. Because one of Putin’s quietest but most devastating goals is to create a lost generation in Ukraine. We can’t let that happen.

The Cost Is Already Unbearable

Imagine a classroom in Ukraine. The lesson pauses as a student’s phone buzzes. They glance down, freeze, and rush out, crying. Their father has died on the frontline. The teacher stands paralyzed, torn between comforting the student and holding the rest of the class together. Many of those children have parents fighting, too. How do you continue a lesson after that?

Ukraine’s students have suffered some of the most significant learning losses in the world. According to the latest PISA results, Ukrainian 15-year-olds are now nearly two years behind their peers globally in reading and math. For many children, especially those in frontline regions, education has been reduced to scattered online lessons with little structure or support. Each missed day of school widens the gap, making it harder for them to catch up — not just academically but socially and emotionally, too.

Education has looked like this for three years — interrupted, uncertain, but more essential than ever. School is no longer just a place to learn. It’s a place where children find normalcy and escape the chaos outside. But even that is fragile, with thousands of schools damaged, classrooms empty, and lessons cut short by air raid sirens and the threat of attack.

A Lost Generation Means a Stolen Future

A lost generation in Ukraine would mean more than missed schooling. It would mean a future robbed of potential, progress, and hope. Without proper education, children grow into adults without the skills to rebuild their country, drive innovation, or sustain democracy. It would mean fewer doctors, engineers, teachers, and leaders — the very people Ukraine will need to recover and thrive. And most painfully, it would mean fewer voices to shape the country they deserve.

Take Olena, a 10-year-old girl who has never been to school. First, COVID-19 kept her home. Then the war began. She’s never sat in a real classroom. Never had the chance to build friendships during recess. Never known what it’s like to raise her hand with an answer. She doesn’t know how to focus for the 45-minute stretch of a normal lesson and is painfully shy around other kids. The world of learning, where children not only gain knowledge but grow emotionally and socially, was stolen from her before she ever had a chance to experience it.

This is what a lost generation looks like. Children isolated, disconnected, and falling behind — not just academically, but in life itself. The longer children remain cut off from learning, the harder it becomes for them to find their place in the world. But it’s not too late.

Every school that stays open, every lesson that reaches a child like Olena, every safe space where children can learn, play, and heal is an act of defiance. It’s how Ukraine and those helping us protect these children’s future. Because a lost generation wouldn’t just be a tragedy for Ukraine. It would be Putin’s ultimate victory. And we can’t let that happen.

So don’t give up on Ukraine.

We owe it to Yulia and countless other heroes who gave everything not just for the future of Ukraine but for peace in Europe, too. We owe it to the children still showing up for lessons between air raid sirens, to the teachers turning bomb shelters into classrooms, and to every parent fighting to give their child a chance at a normal life. Because if we let this generation fall behind, we don’t just fail Ukraine — we fail the promise of a world that stands against tyranny and upholds the values we claim to defend.

This September, I had the opportunity to attend the UN General Assembly week in New York for the second time. Every year, this week becomes the center of global decision-making, where world leaders, international organizations, and donors gather to discuss pressing issues facing our planet.

For me, it’s not only an opportunity to represent Ukraine but also to reflect on how our country fits into the broader global discourse, especially now when international support for Ukraine is more crucial than ever.

I participated in numerous meetings with donors who support education in emergencies and provide humanitarian aid, including to Ukraine. Unfortunately, unlike last year, when Ukraine was at the center of many discussions, this time, we were barely mentioned. Instead, crises in places like Gaza and Sudan dominated the discussions. While these crises are indeed serious, the situation in Ukraine remains critical, and we cannot allow the world to overlook our challenges.

A Powerful Reminder

One of the standout moments occurred during a panel discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative titled “No One Left Behind: Bridging Digital Divides and Education Inequities”. I sat next to former Colombian President Ivan Duque and the CEO of Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Westin. As I spoke about the state of education in Ukraine and the work we are doing at Teach For Ukraine, Duque unexpectedly took the floor. He shared that he had recently produced a documentary about Ukrainian athletes who left sports to fight in the war. “Athletes of War” is a unique story about our Olympians who first fought for gold and are now fighting for their country.

President Duque ended his speech with a powerful call to support Ukraine, reminding everyone that this isn’t just a fight over territory — it’s a fight for the values of the entire democratic world. His message was one of the strongest I heard during all the informal events I attended, and believe me, there were many of them.

Unfortunately, such strong statements of support for Ukraine were rare this year. Unlike last year, I noticed a disturbing trend: very little was said about 🇺🇦.

War Fatigue and the Shift in Focus

One concerning trend I observed during these meetings is the growing “war fatigue” toward Ukraine. When a crisis drags on for years, attention naturally shifts to new emergencies. Ukraine’s war is no longer seen as “new,” and this shift has led to a diminishing sense of urgency among international donors and partners, who are now focusing on more recent crises like those in Gaza, Sudan, and now Lebanon.

I want to be clear: I fully recognize the gravity of these situations, and in no way am I diminishing their importance. As someone who leads a Ukrainian non-profit that has been operating in a humanitarian context for almost three years, it’s my responsibility to ensure Ukraine remains part of the global conversation. While attention moves toward new crises, we must keep reminding the world that Ukraine’s struggle is far from over, and our challenges — particularly in the realm of education — remain as urgent as ever.

Keeping Ukraine in the Global Conversation

One way to ensure that Ukraine remains in the global humanitarian discussion is by drawing parallels with other humanitarian crises. Ukraine’s educational infrastructure, like in Sudan and Gaza, has been severely damaged. More than 3,000 schools in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged by Russian aggression, and hundreds of thousands of children have been deprived of the opportunity to receive education in a safe environment. Yet, despite all these challenges, we continue to fight for our children’s right to learn and develop because our future depends on it.

By showing that our challenges are similar to those faced in other conflict zones, we emphasize the global nature of these problems and make it clear that Ukraine’s struggle is about more than territorial defense — it’s about protecting the future of our children and their right to education.

Showcasing Ukraine’s Innovations

Despite the challenges, Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience and innovation in adapting to the war, especially in education. One example of this is the Educational Soup program that our NGO, Teach For Ukraine, launched in partnership with the World Bank and the UBS Optimus Foundation to address learning losses among Ukrainian children. This tech-based program has helped around 15,000 students continue their education through a combination of distance learning tools and targeted teacher support.

As a result, students experienced an increase equivalent to 14 additional months of learning in math and 11 additional months in the Ukrainian language, as confirmed by a randomized control trial conducted by Teach For Ukraine in partnership with the World Bank. The report will be published soon.

This success not only benefited Ukrainian students but also demonstrated how technology can be leveraged to provide access to education in war zones.

By sharing stories like these, we not only keep Ukraine in the global spotlight but also inspire international partners to continue their support. Our innovations show the world that Ukraine is not just surviving but leading in creating solutions that can benefit children worldwide. This approach is key to maintaining global engagement and fostering collaboration during these difficult times.

Let’s continue to share these stories and keep Ukraine’s future in the hearts and minds of the world.

As we mark the second “anniversary” of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I find myself reflecting on one fundamental question: Does investment in education make sense when there is war?

I lost count of how many times I doubted if being the CEO of Teach For Ukraine was the most significant thing I could do now. Whether providing education is the biggest impact we, as an organization, can have, and if it even matters? These questions take time to answer.

I recall one of the early days of the war in a school bomb shelter in my hometown in western Ukraine. It was a chilly basement, equipped with bunk beds from the Cold War era, that provided refuge for about 80 people. A significant portion of them were children. Among those sheltering, there was also a teacher. What I witnessed later was one of the first lessons delivered in a bomb shelter in Ukraine.

The teacher’s effect on the children’s emotions was striking. I saw this as a sign for Teach For Ukraine to continue our mission. That’s how we started our Emergency Response, focusing on renewing access to education and mental health support. Let me offer you a little journey to help you better understand the challenge.

Picture yourself as a Ukrainian parent. Your child, almost ten, has spent the early years of their education in a global pandemic and war. Your deepest desire is for them to attend regular classes rather than learn in a bomb shelter. Doubt about sending them to school weighs daily on you. Yet, you want them to learn and personally grow despite the war. So, you pack a daily emergency kit for your child, hoping the worst won’t happen.

Now, step into the world of a ten-year-old Ukrainian child. The experience of attending school seems foreign, as most of it has been unfolding in the digital realm. Focusing on reading is a formidable task, and you need help solving basic math. Yearning for more friends and extracurricular activities remains your constant wish. You also deeply miss your father, who left to fight the Russian forces and hasn’t made contact in over two months.

Finally, envision yourself as a Ukrainian teacher. Your role now extends beyond imparting knowledge. Your students look up to you for reassurance amidst the chaos. You are responsible for keeping them safe during the air raid sirens. Building their resilience through education becomes your primary goal. You also wish you could do more for children who lost their parents.

This overview merely scratches the surface of how the war has profoundly influenced the lives of our students, their parents, and teachers. Recent PISA data shows that, because of COVID and the war, many students in Ukraine have suffered a staggering five-year gap in reading, four years in science, and almost five years in math. This stark reality is as unsettling — as it is unacceptable.

The situation is particularly dire for students in frontline regions, where the absolute majority of schools remain closed despite the presence of bomb shelters. The primary reason is the insufficient time available for children to reach a bomb shelter once Russia launches its missiles.

In December last year, Teach For Ukraine presented the findings of a study focusing on the educational needs of children in four frontline regions: Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk (Ukraine-controlled parts) oblasts. The study revealed that 80% of students in these areas need assistance to pursue post-secondary education, primarily through additional classes.

So far, more than 20,000 children have benefited from Teach For Ukraine’s Emergency Response programs, which include catch-up classes, summer camps, STEM academies, and mental health support sessions. However, it’s not nearly enough.

In times of war, the response is to direct resources toward immediate humanitarian needs — food, shelter, and medical assistance. However, as we enter the third year of the war, it becomes apparent that there is a pressing need to channel more resources into nurturing the knowledge and skills of Ukraine’s youth.

Data indicates a noticeable scarcity of education assistance from both governmental and philanthropic sources. Shockingly, in 2023, education comprised only 4 percent of the total humanitarian aid allocated to Ukraine.

Rebuilding Ukraine will require a skilled and educated workforce. While the war has taken a toll on the stability and routine of our children and youth, their resilience and belief in Ukraine’s future remain unshaken. Many are already actively contributing to Ukraine’s recovery. Additional investment in their education and skills builds on that ongoing recovery.

On the war’s second anniversary, I thank our dedicated supporters for sustaining our mission. I also urge the global community, including businesses and philanthropy, to increase investment in Ukraine’s education. It’s not just a moral obligation but a strategic move.

The 2021–2023 cohort of 28 teachers set out on a special mission during unprecedented hardship. They started their fellowship with Teach For Ukraine on the 1st of September 2021, and the worst thing they could imagine back then was bad student’s behavior. Just when they settled, got used to their new profession, and built trust with their students, Russia started its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Although many fellows have lost their homes, friends, and peaceful youth and placidity/serene, none lost hope for the future and the desire to educate the next generation of Ukrainians.

Not an Ordinary Journey

Despite the risks and challenges that lay before them, nobody left Ukraine, and nobody left their students. They stayed to provide hope and support to children when their world was falling apart. The journey of these Teach For Ukraine fellows was far from ordinary. They faced immense challenges, both personal and professional.

Anya’s Story

Meet Anya. Anya is from Mariupol, a city in the Donetsk Oblast. Last May, after subjecting the people of Mariupol to a harrowing months-long siege, Russian forces ultimately occupied it. Anya had no contact with her family for weeks. It was during one of her English lessons, as she stood in front of her students, that her world was momentarily interrupted by a call from her aunt. On the other end of the line, she learned that her mother and sister were being evacuated to safety. Despite the constant state of uncertainty, Anya maву kids fall in love with English and organize leadership camps to help her students build resilience and stay strong.

A Beacon of Hope Amidst the Darkness

These teachers were not only educators but also pillars of strength and stability for their students. In classrooms that doubled as shelters, they provided a safe space where young minds could flourish. They were more than just instructors. They became mentors, confidants, and even family for those who had lost so much. All of it while having to deal with personal challenges and struggles.

Mykola’s Story

Meet Mykola, an inspiring young History teacher. Mykola is from Berdyans’k, a port city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, south-eastern Ukraine, that has been under Russian occupation since February 2022. His whole family is still there. Often they are left without gas, water, and heat, hoping they will hug their son and brother very soon. Despite this immense burden on his heart, Mykola has tirelessly dedicated himself to teaching and supporting his students, refusing to let the horrible circumstances hinder his commitment to his students’ education.

The Courage to Teach

Instead of thinking of how much they have lost, Teach For Ukraine fellows were always there to remind their students how much is still left for them.

The impact of the wartime Teach For Ukraine cohort cannot be overstated. Instead of crying and listening to explosions, kids danced and played in the shelters. Instead of closing themselves with bad news, they always had a safe space and a teacher to support them. Instead of thinking of how much they have lost, Teach For Ukraine fellows were always there to remind their students how much is still left for them. These teachers provided stability when children had been robbed of their normalcy, and some of them have been doing this by defending the future at the frontline.

Vlad’s Story

Meet Vlad, a man of remarkable transformation and courage. In the photograph below, we see him grasping children’s hands, leading them through an engaging game fueled by his aspirations of becoming a teacher. That was August 2021 during Teach For Ukraine’s Summer Academy for children. Little did he know that fate would lead him down a different path a year later. Since February 2022, Vlad has been defending our country’s future at the frontline, dreaming of the day when he returns to the classroom and reunites with his cherished students.

Resilience and Innovation in Action:

In the face of schools being closed, the cohort demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation. They adapted teaching methods to suit the circumstances, leveraging technology and creative approaches to engage their students. From organizing virtual field trips and charity initiatives to connecting with educators from around the world, these teachers went above and beyond to ensure that their students had access to a broad range of educational experiences, even in bomb shelters.

In loving memory of Yulia Zdanovska: 2000–2022

“Continue living and making an impact because it’s the best way to commemorate Yulia’s life”

On the 3rd of March last year, Teach For Ukraine’s family lost our shining star. A week after the large-scale invasion, a Russian missile killed our brilliant fellow Yulia Zdanovska. Yulia was distributing humanitarian aid to residents in her native Kharkiv when the missile strike happened. She was always fearless, ready to go the extra mile to help anyone, but especially her students. A gifted mathematician, and a winner of many olympiads, Yulia chose to be an inspiring teacher and role model for kids in a rural school. She dreamed of making every child in Ukraine fall in love with math, and our duty now is to make Yulia’s dream happen. “Continue living and making an impact because it’s the best way to commemorate Yulia’s life” — these were the words of Yulia’s mother at the graduation ceremony of the 2021–2023 cohort.

Celebrating a Milestone:

As we bid farewell to the 2021–2023 cohort of inspiring teachers, may their legacy continue to shape the future of Ukraine, reminding us all that no matter the circumstances, there is always hope and that hope lies within the hearts of those who believe in the transformative power of education. As the organization, Teach For Ukraine will continue keeping Ukraine’s education alive amidst the war by bringing the new cohorts of young leaders to build a prosperous Ukraine.

P.S. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to every individual and organization that has helped our community survive through the most challenging time and scale our impact despite the circumstances.

The morning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

On the 24th of February 2022, I woke at 5:27 am in my apartment in Kyiv. My sister called me saying she heard explosions near her house. I could not believe it, so I checked the official websites. My three attempts failed because the websites were down, so I visited the leading Ukrainian online media. I will never forget that moment. As I read the headline “PUTIN STARTED A LARGE-SCALE WAR ON UKRAINE,” the first air raid siren went on. It was not even 6 am yet when I heard the sounds of an explosion myself. Surreal. “Was this a nightmare?” I thought.

I remember that day in minutes. Every minute I will never forget. The emotions were that strong, especially the fear of losing my homeland.

I was forced to leave my apartment with almost nothing but a laptop, a hoodie, and an extra pair of jeans, trying to escape Kyiv in a rush.

Being forced out of my home and not knowing if I would ever be able to come back has been the most traumatic experience in my life.

The first 24 hours

At 6:45 am, I was already in a car driving out of Kyiv under the air raid siren witnessing the apocalypse in a city I deeply love. Thousands of scared and confused people ran out of their houses on the streets, carrying children and their belongings. We could barely drive, and the extreme traffic made it take 5 hours to get out of the city and 19 hours to get to my parent’s house in the western part of Ukraine.

When I arrived at my hometown in the middle of the night on the 25th of February, I found myself in a bomb shelter in one of the schools built during the Cold War period. There, I thought about what would happen to Teach For Ukraine, our team, and our teachers.

Back then, it was impossible to imagine how to continue educating children under the constant shelling and bombing when millions were trying to leave Ukraine. The question was, would there be tomorrow?

March and a devastating loss

In March last year, we had 13 people on the team, 28 fellows in 18 schools in the north (Kyiv), the south (Odesa), the east (Dnipro), and the west (Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk). Nobody could focus on work matters, including me. I did not sleep or eat anything during the first week of the invasion. And then the devastating news arrived. Our beloved math and computer science teacher, Yulia Zdanowska, was killed by a Russian missile in her native Kharkiv while supplying humanitarian aid.

We suspected that something was wrong after Yulia stopped responding on Telegram. My last message to her on the 3rd of March was about a possible evacuation from Kharkiv. She replied: “Thank you, but I am staying in Kharkiv until the victory.”

Three days later, my colleague had to identify Yulia’s body and inform her parents about their child’s death. This loss was and still is too much to comprehend.

Yulia was only 21, a math genius and a brilliant teacher whose dream was to make every child in Ukraine fall in love with math. It is impossible to hold tears thinking of you, our Yulia.

Being challenged and tested as a leader

At the beginning of the invasion, I had to decide whether to suspend Teach For Ukraine’s operations. At that time, I feared most of my colleagues would leave the organization and Ukraine. We gave the team and fellows two weeks to think if they wanted to and could continue working. I had to decide for myself as well. I saw many of my friends leaving the country, including my sister. Our parents also encouraged me to go abroad.

I thought about that for days until I realized I could not call myself a leader if I left my organization and society during a massive crisis. What example would I set?

It may sound pompous, but that was precisely why I decided to stay home and continue leading Teach For Ukraine. The team and fellows have decided to stay as well. That was when I felt the motivation running through my veins because I knew we would try to keep education alive in Ukraine together.

Teach For Ukraine and our Emergency Response

On the 24th of February 2022, schools in Ukraine closed again, and many have been unable to reopen until now. The Russian military heavily damaged two of Teach For Ukraine’s partner schools. In one day, more than five million children have lost safe access to education and peaceful childhood, being forced to live in basements and bomb shelters with limited nutrition and light.

I remember disturbing photos of our student from Borodyanka, who was sleeping on the cold floor in a dark basement during the Russian occupation of the town. At that moment, I thought about the devastating consequences of this traumatic experience on her future.

To respond to this, Teach For Ukraine launched its Emergency Response with the help of donor organizations and philanthropists. Our projects included free online tutoring classes, safe learning spaces for displaced children, offline summer camps, and well-being programs. As of now, more than 15,000 children received our academic and psycho-social support during the war.

One recent story has struck me. The parents of one of our students are now serving in the army defending Ukraine. One day, we received a call from his father asking how to get his son registered for our new project. You could hear explosions in his background.

Just think about that. While fighting in the frontline, this Ukrainian man also cares for his child’s education. Because isn’t it what we are fighting for, a better future for our children?

The most challenging months that shaped us

Before October last year, we had learned to live and work in a war. I often had zoom calls in my underground parking lot, which serves as a bomb shelter during air raid sirens. This new reality was manageable until Russia started its brutal attacks on our power infrastructure. It created enormous challenges for our work and life as one can only do little with no electricity, water, and Internet access. Imagine if suddenly you can no longer cook, take a hot shower, have work calls, take online classes, or watch a movie to relax. That was October, November, December, January, and February in Ukraine — at least most days.

Even these challenges have not broken our spirit. Our incredible fellows have been teaching classes at gas stations and supermarkets, outside on the benches in a cold weather because education must continue during the war. It provides children with a lifesaving routine and a feeling of normalcy disrupted by Russia’s brutal large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Final reflection

In the last year, I realized that no organization or individual is immune to unpredictable crises. My job as a leader was to learn how to turn this challenge into an opportunity for positive change. Since the war started, Teach For Ukraine has grown three times in terms of our team capacity, budget, and impact. It is not my accomplishment but the result of the incredible efforts of everyone on the team and the support we have received from our partners and friends worldwide. Teach For Ukraine is a community ready to go the extra mile and make the impossible happen. I am privileged to have and work with such colleagues during these historic times.

My mom has recently asked me if I regret giving up a law career for nonprofit work and returning to Ukraine after Oxford. “You could live in a peaceful country instead of a war,” she said. But I have no doubt I was supposed to be in Ukraine. While millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave the country, I want to be the one creating the reason for them to come back. Teach For Ukraine will have an urgent task of bringing the right people to rebuild the education system and build the future of Ukraine. We are an unbreakable nation, and bravery is in our DNA.