The new realities of war have exposed chronic problems in Ukrainian communities. A study conducted in October-November 2025 in the Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk regions as part of a project by the Ukrainian Education Platform in collaboration with Kerk in Actie showed that local residents are in dire need of safe education for children, effective protection of children’s rights and accessible psychological support. The experts and parents surveyed from different parts of these regions spoke candidly about the everyday challenges they face: lessons accompanied by the sound of sirens with no shelters, the struggle with emotional exhaustion among families, the shortage of teachers and psychologists, and children forced to play at home due to the lack of clubs. These problems have become systemic and require attention at all levels of government and society. But despite the difficulties, communities are not giving up – they are looking for solutions themselves and are ready to join in the changes.
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Education: schools without shelters and teachers
Danger in schools. The war has turned a normal school day into an ordeal. In many communities, schoolchildren and teachers do not have adequate bomb shelters. For example, in the Kirovohrad region, most schools still do not have shelters, so classes are interrupted by air raid sirens. In communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the construction of shelters is considered a priority, especially in kindergartens, because without them, kindergartens and schools cannot function properly. Even in relatively safe areas of the Kyiv region, the issue of shelters remains relevant. In addition, frontline communities suffer from power outages, which make both in-person and online learning impossible. All of this exacerbates educational inequality between urban centres and rural areas.
Overloaded infrastructure. Despite the large number of educational projects in the capital, even there schools cannot cope with the influx of new residents. In the Bucha district of Kyiv region, according to a local resident, there is “one school for every three thousand children” – classrooms are overcrowded and the material base is outdated. In remote villages, the situation is even more critical: sometimes there are no schools or kindergartens at all. “…there is no school, no kindergarten… there is a library, but it is very old,” says a resident of the Menska community in the Chernihiv region, describing the reality. Therefore, children from villages have to travel kilometres to reach educational institutions or stay at home, losing the opportunity for a full education and communication with their peers.
Staff shortages and burnout. The quality of education suffers from a lack of teachers and specialists. Every region lacks teachers, speech therapists, and psychologists. Low salaries and constant stress have led to an exodus of personnel, and those who remain are overworked. “It’s very difficult for parents to find a speech therapist… They’re practically non-existent,” says a displaced woman from Dnipropetrovsk. Kindergartens are facing a “preschool crisis”: teachers are working in survival mode, without resources or support, exhausted by bureaucracy and the realities of war. Even motivated teachers need help — communities are asking for supervision and burnout prevention programmes for those who care for children on a daily basis.
Children’s lost skills. Educators are noticing alarming trends in student development. Due to a lack of attention from specialists and constant stress, children’s speech skills and live communication are deteriorating. Teachers in Cherkasy region attribute this to both a shortage of speech therapists and psychologists and the fact that gadgets are increasingly replacing live communication for children. The youngest children are particularly affected – primary schools need more developmental programmes, clubs and sports sections to catch up on the socialisation of children after years of quarantine and war. In the Kyiv region, there is also a problem with transport accessibility: getting a child with a disability to a specialised school or club is a real challenge. At the same time, communities are beginning to understand that schools are not only responsible for education, but also for psychological support and safety. The idea of multifunctional shelters that serve as both classrooms and places for psychological relief is gaining traction in frontline areas.
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Child protection: safe space and early response
Leisure during wartime. Children and teenagers in the communities surveyed do not have enough safe places to spend time outside their homes. In the villages of Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions, there are virtually no clubs or gyms – teenagers have nowhere to gather except on the streets. In Cherkasy region, parents are sounding the alarm: the lack of supervised spaces is pushing young people into uncontrolled leisure activities or isolation at home. The problem has been exacerbated by constant air raid sirens. Schoolchildren in Dnipropetrovsk spend a significant part of the day in shelters, but even there, conditions are not suitable for them – there are no sports or play areas, and no one to organise activities. As a result, children get bored and anxious in the shelters. Communities emphasise the need for youth centres, clubs, and simply safe places where children can play and socialise.
Vulnerable without inclusion. Children with special educational needs and disabilities are often overlooked. In rural communities, there are almost no facilities for them – no special transport or barrier-free spaces. In the Kaniv community in Cherkasy region, the lack of accessible transport effectively deprives such children of the opportunity to attend school or rehabilitation. In Kirovohrad region, the lack of teaching assistants and ramps in schools creates barriers. Kyiv residents talk about the need to create a tolerant environment in schools so that children with special needs do not face prejudice. Without inclusion and support, these boys and girls are isolated from their peers, and their parents are left alone with their problems.
Social services: reactive rather than preventive. War and displacement have complicated the work of child welfare services. Experts admit that they are unable to work proactively. Two communities in the Cherkasy region have pointed to weaknesses in the early detection system. Often, cases of violence or dysfunction in the family only come to light when the situation spirals out of control. Social services often work on a “request basis” rather than preventively, according to participants in discussions in Cherkasy region. In Dnipropetrovsk region, emphasis is placed on the need for systematic work with cases of domestic and gender-based violence against children – tools are needed to enable psychologists and social workers to recognise such situations in a timely manner. School teachers also need training: bullying has intensified in frontline schools, and aggression has increased against a backdrop of stress. Communities are asking for anti-bullying programmes and psychological support directly in schools. When a child receives help in a timely manner, whether in a situation of violence or behavioural problems, it prevents much more serious consequences in the future.
Parents as part of the solution. All regions emphasise the role of the family. In fact, many problems “grow” at home, so without working with parents, child protection will be incomplete. Focus groups expressed the opinion that without a change in parental attitudes and involvement, no institutional efforts will be fully effective. This prompted communities to demand more programmes to help mums and dads become better educators – from counselling support from psychologists to educational training in non-violent communication. In Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions, it was emphasised that parents need both emotional support and practical “breathing space” – temporary childcare so that adults can take care of their affairs or simply rest. The war has exhausted entire families, so support must be provided comprehensively: to both children and their caregivers.
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Psychosocial support: living with stress
Chronic stress and trauma. The emotional state of people is one of the most painful topics for all communities. In the frontline areas of Dnipropetrovsk and Chernihiv regions, residents live under the threat of shelling, which has only intensified recently. Constant anxiety, loss of loved ones, uncertainty – all this leads to chronic stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Families of military personnel and displaced persons who have lost their homes are particularly vulnerable. Psychologists speak of a kind of “second wave” of trauma: after the initial shock of 2022, fatigue accumulated in 2023–2025. People are morally and physically exhausted, so the need for psychosocial support is steadily growing.
Shortage of psychological assistance. The demand for psychological services is enormous today – both adults and children need qualified support. All five regions agree on this: there is a catastrophic shortage of specialists. And it is not only a question of quantity, but also of qualifications. As noted in the Cherkasy region, specialists are needed who know how to work with trauma, loss and behavioural difficulties. Communities in Dnipropetrovsk emphasise the lack of certified psychologists and narrow-profile therapists – speech therapists, audiologists, trauma therapists, consultants working with IDPs and victims of violence. Under these conditions, appointments with available psychologists are booked months in advance, and rural residents often have no one to turn to. Volunteers and social workers are proposing a solution: mobile psychological assistance teams. In Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions, there is a demand for specialists to systematically visit remote villages. In Dnipropetrovsk region, there is talk of introducing “mobile support formats” for remote settlements. So far, such practices are rather the exception.
People do not know where to turn. Another obstacle is the information vacuum and stigma. Despite the availability of free services in some communities, residents often lack information about available services and assistance routes. For example, in the capital region, with a large number of support projects, people get lost and do not know where to look for the service they need. In rural areas, this is compounded by mistrust of “outsider” specialists and fear of judgement. For example, communities in the Chernihiv region still have to overcome the stigma of seeking help from a psychologist. Older people need basic digital literacy to sign up for an online consultation or find out a specialist’s work schedule. Therefore, in addition to providing services, it is necessary to promote and educate people about them so that every family knows where to go with their problems and is not afraid to do so.
A comprehensive approach and community support. The findings of the study boil down to a common denominator: issues of education, child protection and psychological well-being are closely intertwined and require systemic solutions. In five regions, despite varying degrees of destruction or resources, communities face similar challenges, from staff shortages to overburdened social infrastructure. At the same time, each region has its own specific characteristics. The capital region has seen a huge influx of displaced persons and uneven development of the suburbs. The Dnipro region has scattered peripheral communities that lack basic services. But everywhere, people want stability: stable, structured and regular services that are accessible in both urban and rural areas. This requires long-term solutions at the local and national government levels, partnerships with the public sector and donors, and investment in people – in their education and motivation to work in communities. It is important to build these solutions together with the people themselves. As the study showed, residents want to be involved: they are ready to take responsibility, organise themselves, create parental initiatives or support groups. This unusual but noticeable feature can become a starting point for new development programmes – programmes not for the community, but together with the community.
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