News from our Stories that Move colleagues in Ukraine

3 Mar 2022 - by Karen Polak

Anna is in Kyiv, which suffered missile strikes this morning after heavy shelling yesterday, and Sasha, further east, has spent the past few days helping to build an emergency hospital in his home town.

As the Russian troops advance on the capital, Anna  is working continuously with several NGOs to produce daily bulletins on the news: www.sharethetruths.org. These bulletins are now translated into 16 languages. Fact checking and sharing accurate information is essential in times of war. Social media is flooded with fake information.

We need to make our students aware of this. War always goes hand in hand with a war of information.

A week ago, on day 1 of the war, Anna and Sasha led a webinar attended by 10 teachers – it was already set up, so they went ahead, and found it very positive despite the terrifying events unfolding around them. These dedicated educators were able to ‘meet’ to discuss how they can support their students and to share their own emotions.

Yesterday a teacher in the Kherson region rang Anna to say her village is cut off from all supplies, the food has run out. As the roads around them are blocked, men have taken to boats on the river, undertaking dangerous journeys to find anything that can be used to make bread.

We will keep you posted. We are all challenged by these events, but we may all be able to contribute in some small ways to make a difference to people in Ukraine. During last weekend’s curfew, Anna developed worksheets with simple exercises to help students release aggression. An important step to revive energy and avoid feeling helpless: Exercises to lower stress when faced with war

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