Outbreaks of unrest, violence and thousands of dead people. All this was the result of the crisis that escalated in Ukraine in 2014, forcing millions of people to leave their homes in the eastern parts of the country.

Approximately 12,000 refugees ended up in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Due to the new arrivals, the city desperately needed additional education and social services. In 2016, Finland donated a school to Kherson that was built by a Finnish company. The modules of this energy efficient school were manufactured in the municipality of Kaavi, and they were transported to Kherson by 28 trucks.  The new school building was annexed to the existing school, and it provided room for about 210 schoolchildren. The first pupils started in the school in September 2016. The building also serves as a social centre for refugees, so all in all, about 1,200 people benefit from the premises. The school is maintained by the city of Kherson.

The school project is a part of the Nordic Energy Efficiency and Humanitarian Support Initiative (NIU), launched by the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation NEFCO in 2014. This work aims to support Ukraine in an increasingly difficult political, economic and humanitarian situation.

Photo: NEFCO, graphics: Juho Hiilivirta