The reconstruction of the school in Kamianske was carried out under the EIB’s Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP). The Bank provided EUR 3.63 million for the project, with the remaining funds coming from the local budget. The project was implemented by the local authorities together with UNDP Ukraine, which provided the necessary technical assistance.

“A significant number of educational institutions were affected by russian aggression: at least 363 were completely destroyed, and another 3,417 were partially damaged.

Our task is to quickly restore them on the principle of ‘build back better’. This is one of the important conditions for the return of those who were forced to leave their cities because of the war.

This approach is also shared by our partners from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, who are providing funds to support the recovery efforts in our communities. We are grateful for their assistance. Such cooperation not only strengthens our technical and financial capacity to rebuild Ukraine, but also provides a great opportunity to implement the best international practices in reconstruction projects,” commented Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.

The school has undergone a complete overhaul. It included insulation of the roof, facade and basement of the building, replacement of doors and windows with energy-saving ones, as well as major repairs of restrooms and interior finishing works.

The school specialises in the advanced study of foreign languages. The school employs 70 staff members in the current academic year. They teach and educate a diverse group of students, including two children affected by the Chornobyl disaster, seven children with disabilities and more than fifty children whose families were forced to seek refuge in other regions of Ukraine due to the russian invasion.

Thanks to the reconstruction, the school can accommodate more students. In addition, the school has been converted to enable hybrid learning, which allows for a combination of face-to-face and online learning. Ramps were also installed to make the school more accessible. The essential networks have been repaired: electricity, water, sewerage, ventilation and heating systems.

Background

The Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP) is a EUR 200 million multi-sectoral framework loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). By empowering local authorities to rebuild social infrastructure, the UERP improves the living conditions of internally displaced people and their host communities. To date, about 100 subprojects have been implemented, including 52 educational buildings, 37 healthcare facilities, and 9 social housing buildings.

The Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development coordinates the UERP together with the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, while reconstruction projects are managed by local governments.