From Pupils to Pioneers: The Teachers modernising a 100-year-old school in a front-line community in Ukraine

UNDP-supported project management training is helping transform education in Ukraine’s front-line Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

May 4, 2026

Olena Biriuchenko, a Year 6 student at the lyceum in Dmukhailivka, Chernechchyna community.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in early 2022, around 300 internally displaced people have moved to the Chernechchyna community in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. According to Deputy Head of the Village Council Ivan Harkusha, many other people fleeing the hostilities also passed through the community in transit.

Sheltered accommodation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is in operation here, and the community is now working with charitable organisations to renovate buildings where IDPs will be able to live permanently. Damage to property from hostilities in the area was recorded only once, in 2022, but according to the head of the community, attack drones fly over the area almost every night.

But even during wartime, the Chernechchyna community is seeking ways to develop, and it is now taking part in a pilot project aimed at strengthening community resilience. And with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Japan, the community has developed a Recovery and Development Strategy until 2027.

Community Recovery Strategy: From housing IDPs to investing in education

The Chernechchyna community’s cooperation with UNDP has helped it to systematise its approach to development. According to Village Council representative Olena Voloshyna, the creation of the Recovery and Development Strategy was a key outcome: The strategy now serves as a foundation for attracting international resources.

One community project implemented with UNDP support involved upgrading infrastructure at the local lyceum and kindergarten. According to village council deputy head Harkusha, the community has 540 registered children, with four schools and three kindergartens operating to support their development.

How classmates-turned-teachers are transforming their school

The community’s first successful project focused on equipping the lyceum in Dmukhailivka with modern desks and STEM equipment for its chemistry, biology and geography classrooms. With support from UNDP and the Government of Japan, the lyceum received 74 desks and 144 chairs for pupils, six teachers’ desks, ten computer desks, a robotics workstation, three cabinets, and equipment for practical science lessons.

The project was developed by Ukrainian language and literature teacher Iryna Mostova when she was taking part in a UNDP project management training course. Mostova, who has worked at the lyceum for 33 years, first came to the school as a pupil herself, so she remembers well what it was like in Soviet times. When she later returned as a teacher, she observed how the school had evolved over the years, what changes were needed, and what challenges it faced.

Two students with blurred faces stand in a school hallway near a door.

Another pupil-turned-teacher, Valerii Oryshchenko, studied in the same class as Mostova and has been teaching at the lyceum for 35 years. They joke that they are classmates, colleagues, friends, godparents, and like-minded people. Moreover, they were both bitten by the “project management bug” and took part in the UNDP training course together.

“I had tried to take part in projects before, but when the opportunity arose to attend UNDP training, I didn’t hesitate,” Oryshchenko says. “It opened up a whole new world for me. The trainers have enormous experience and explained everything clearly. Iryna (Mostova) and I really caught the project bug. She couldn’t attend the training in person, so she worked through all the materials remotely, sent us her project bid, and we refined it together – and it turned out to be a winning project.”

‘I care deeply about our pupils and our school’

Oryshchenko recalls well the moment when the furniture and materials were delivered.

“It felt like a celebration – the sports hall was full!” he says. “Everyone who could came to assemble the furniture – parents, teachers. When the children went on holiday there was old furniture, and when they came back – everything had changed. When former pupils come back now and see the improvements, they get emotional and say, ‘Why didn’t we have this?’”

Diana Bevska, a Year 6 student, says that with the arrival of new furniture and equipment, the process of learning has become more engaging and comfortable. For instance, in geography lessons on natural resources, the school’s new practical kits allow pupils not only to see different types of minerals, but also to touch, compare and study them.

Geography and history teacher Andrii Taranov also enthuses about the new equipment: “How do you explain density, colour, and diversity to a child?” he asks. “Pictures and photos help, but it’s not enough. When a child has a set of samples in front of them, they understand the material much better. It opens up new possibilities.”

Although Mostova teaches Ukrainian, she chose to design a project focused on science subjects.

“I thought it would be interesting for the children,” she says. “I care deeply about our pupils and our school.”

‘Inspectors admired our kitchen!’

Another project implemented with support from UNDP and the Government of Japan involved upgrading the kitchen and a playroom at the “Berizka” kindergarten in Chernechchyna. The head of the kindergarten, Olena Hunko, has worked there for 45 years and jokes that her first pupils are now turning 50. She says the kindergarten and caring for young children have become her life’s work.

“Now our kindergarten looks wonderful,” Hunko says. “UNDP provided furniture and helped renovate the kitchen. This was absolutely essential for it to meet all sanitary standards. We’ve already had an inspection, and (the inspectors) admired our kitchen! The children are delighted with the new furniture – we now have our own play hairdresser’s corner and a sports area.”

Woman with blue cardigan and backpack in a cozy shop; face blurred.

Hunko adds that when the furniture arrived, the entire team came in over the weekend to assemble it.

“When the children came in on Monday, the excitement was overwhelming!” she says. “We even invited parents to come and see. We have three kindergartens in our community, and I would like to bring my colleagues together here so they can be inspired by our example. I believe this is how it should be for children – high quality, comfortable and beautiful.”

Strengthening resilience and safety

Voloshyna, the village council representative, says that developing the Recovery and Development Strategy with UNDP support helped clarify which direction the community should take, and helped determine its priorities. This, in turn, became a catalyst for new partnerships – the community is now implementing a UAH 2 million project with the International Organization for Migration funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA.

UAH 625,000 will be spent on improving community security, including through installing CCTV cameras near the village council and lyceums. The rest of the funds will support resilience-building efforts – particularly in the energy sector.

“We want to install solar panels in three lyceums, including the one in Dmukhailivka,” Voloshyna says. “Due to power outages, children are unable to study properly. We do have generators, but fuel costs are very high and difficult to cover from the local budget. Solar panels will help solve this problem.”

“In critical situations, the lyceums will also serve as ‘Points of Invincibility’ in our community,” Voloshyna adds, referring to spaces specially equipped to operate independently of the electricity grid and able to provide internet connections, device charging stations, and other essential services during blackouts.

Teachers Oryshchenko and Mostova conclude by emphasising that UNDP support is a tool for long-term change:

“Participation in the UNDP programme has not only provided resources but also confirmed that initiative can overcome circumstances,” says Oryshchenko.

UNDP, with financial support from the Government of Japan, has been providing comprehensive assistance to Ukrainian communities since 2023. Initially, 10 territorial communities took part in the pilot project. Then, in 2024, the initiative was expanded to include 20 additional communities from across Ukraine.

As part of this support, the pilot communities have developed strategic planning documents and anti-corruption programmes, drawn up individual communication strategies, and have had their representative complete training in project management. They have also strengthened their capacities in strategic communications, media literacy, and countering disinformation.

UNDP, with funding from Japan, has also supported recovery and development projects in several communities by procuring essential equipment. Thanks to this support, communities have not only strengthened their institutional capacity but have also successfully attracted funding to implement other practical initiatives.

Photos: Stanislav Pantelei / UNDP in Ukraine