November 24, 2024
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, many Ukrainian youth have experienced multiple educational setbacks that arose from wartime and the end of the pandemic. Therefore, supporting education has become a key issue and is one of Nova Ukraine’s most important projects.
Notably, one of the problems Ukrainian educators face is that many of the vital learning materials available to Ukrainian children are written in russian, by russian authors. Original books of Ukrainian origin, especially featuring STEM-based content are scarce and difficult to find. According to mathematical physicist, Iryna Yehorchenko, less than ten Ukranian books for mathematical education have been published since 1991 for children ages eight and above. Moreover, similar books written in Ukrainian for older children (ages 14 and above) are entirely nonexistent. Despite many years of consistent efforts from academics like Yehorchenko, publishers have strayed from creating and putting out such content. For Ukrainian educators trying to encourage young minds towards STEM subjects, this gap in resources makes the task even more difficult.
As such, we have made it our mission at Nova Ukraine to inspire children and eliminate these barriers of accessibility through the Nova Ukraine Book Series, and we are proud to announce the publication of the first book of this series, Був Cобі Один by the Ukrainian author Alyona Shynkarenko. Був Cобі Один translates to “There Was One”, its title showcasing a lighthearted play on words that conveys the book’s main content, a mathematical fairytale featuring the numbers 0 through 9 as the main characters.
The book is now available for purchase and is primarily aimed at middle school-aged children. However, according to the publisher, the book’s content is also suitable for persons of all ages and features colorful illustrations and important lessons in arithmetics, empathy, and emotional intelligence. The book maintains academic accuracy and alongside its main protagonists, the numbers 0 through 9, the story also introduces important concepts such as fractions, prime, and imaginary numbers.
Ukrainian-born social media influencer, Zakhar Chernikov, also featured content discussing and promoting the publication of this new book on his Instagram account. His own experiences coincide with the experiences of many other children living in Ukraine, including multiple evacuations beginning from the city of Donetsk, then to Nikopol, and finally to his current residence in Ivano-Frankivisk. His content which documents his perspectives also promotes the publication of various books written in the Ukrainian language.
Alongside Zakhar, we invite our supporters to share their own experiences reading and engaging with Був Cобі Один on social media. Educators and interested individuals can access the book by downloading a free PDF version of the ebook through the following link.
We thank our donors and partners for making this publication possible. This book is the first of many more books to come in the Nova Ukraine Book Series. As we aim to create more content and projects that support children’s education, we look forward to more exciting announcements in the future.
We kindly encourage you to donate or join our organization to support projects like the Nova Ukraine Book Series. With the Giving Season approaching, your help and support would be much appreciated. As the war continues to impact our most vulnerable individuals, Nova Ukraine’s continued involvement brings hope and joy to those who need it most. Projects that aid children’s education, create stability and peace for the youth who will one day become Ukraine’s future visionaries and leaders. Through your continued support for Nova Ukraine, you are supporting all of them.
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