In the Kosmichnyi district of Zaporizhzhia, another stage of modernization of a school shelter has been completed. Due to constant shelling of the city, the shelter has become a permanent place of study for children. The project was implemented thanks to the efforts of benefactors after gymnasium students recorded a video appeal asking for help.

This was reported by Albert Pavlov, the project coordinator at the Helpus Foundation.

According to the volunteer, the condition of the premises before the start of the work was critical. “In the spring of 2025, when staff of the Happy Child Charity Fund visited the site, only half of the basement was somehow adapted for learning. The rest looked much worse: exposed pipes, an earthen floor, walls almost without plaster. Total hopelessness,” Pavlov noted.

He emphasized that the shelter in the Zaporizhzhia school is a place for permanent learning, not just a space used during air raid alerts.

The transformation of the basement was preceded by long preparation. “Several months of consultations, calculations, and searching for compromises — and the dream began to become reality,” Albert Pavlov said. Instead of curtains, full plasterboard partitions were installed, the floor was made “like in a roller rink,” the number of toilets was doubled, and the ventilation system was brought into proper condition.

The project coordinator stressed that there are currently not enough underground schools being built by the state and donors. “That is why it is so important to create safe and humane shelters where children are studying right now. The costs were significant, but thanks to our donors, builders, and foundation staff, children once again have live communication and live learning,” he concluded. The gymnasium is now planning the next stage of renovations and the installation of an additional ventilation line.

This is what the shelter looked like before reconstruction:

Shelter in the process of updating:

Earlier, due to regular Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs and missiles, most educational institutions in the city switched to a blended learning format. Regional authorities have begun building a network of “underground schools,” but due to the large number of students, the need for adapted and safe shelters directly within schools remains urgent.

You can support Zaporizhzhia children during the war via this link.