Nova Ukraine Highlights Education Resilience at UNGA80: Learning to Stay Strong

Nova Ukraine joined global leaders at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly to spotlight education as Ukraine’s backbone of resilience. The high-level side event Learning to Stay Strong: Education as Ukraine’s Backbone of Resilience demonstrated how Ukraine’s schools and educators continue to function under bombardment, displacement, and destruction with 3.5 million children studying in bomb shelters, online, and in newly built underground schools.

The event, organized by Osvitoria, Ukraine’s leading educational NGO, and supported by Nova Ukraine, brought together distinguished guests including First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Queen Silvia of Sweden, representatives of Permanent Missions to the UN, and international policymakers.

Opening the event, First Lady Olena Zelenska stressed that education is not only a right but also a foundation of national recovery. Zoya Lytvyn, founder of Osvitoria, highlighted the staggering damage: “Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, 3,798 educational institutions have been damaged, 365 completely destroyed. Behind every number there is a child who deserves a safe and happy life. That is why we call on the world to invest in education as the backbone of both Ukraine’s recovery and our shared future.”

Ambassador Erin McKee, CEO of Nova Ukraine, emphasized solidarity: “Education is one of the most powerful investments in Ukraine’s future. Even as children study under the shadow of war, their determination to learn remains unshaken. Since 2014, Nova Ukraine has supported education at all levels, but after Russia’s full-scale invasion, we expanded these efforts many times over. We see education as a strategic priority because it equips children not only with knowledge, but also with resilience, creativity, and the skills they will need to rebuild their country.”

Through our EMPOWER pillar, Nova Ukraine has made education a strategic priority. We support summer and STEM camps, after-school and learning centers, scholarships for children from frontline families, and programs that combine learning with emotional support. At the same time, we invest in restoring critical infrastructure for schools: repairing shelters and classrooms, and creating safe spaces equipped for both learning and psychological recovery. Nova Ukraine’s goal is to ensure that children in Ukraine not only have access to knowledge, but also stability, healing, and the chance to imagine a future defined by creativity rather than war.

Natalia Gutaruk, an English teacher from Zaporizhzhia, just 19 miles from the frontline, shared her experience of teaching in one of Ukraine’s first underground schools and made a powerful statement: “What is granted to others at birth and protected by international conventions, our students must win through daily struggle. They are not a fleeting image in your newsfeed, not a statistic, not the backdrop of war. They are the beating heart of our shared future. And you have the power to decide whether these children will simply survive — or whether they will grow, flourish, and share their wisdom and talents with humanity instead of watching them consumed by the flames of war.”

The audience gave her a standing ovation. 

The program also featured excerpts from Timestamp, a Berlinale-selected documentary by Kateryna Gornostai, executive-produced by Osvitoria, portraying classrooms under fire and the determination of Ukrainian children and teachers.

Closing the event, Anna Sydoruk, CEO of Osvitoria, reminded the audience: “Children are 15 percent of our population, yet 100 percent of our future. While our soldiers defend Ukraine today, our teachers defend Ukraine’s tomorrow. Together we can ensure that Ukrainian children not only survive the war, but also shape the future that follows.”