Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine despite the attempts of peace talks. Meanwhile, the rocky relationship between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin diverts the media’s and, consequently, the international public’s attention from the ongoing war. At the same time, Ukrainians continue to adjust to their dreary realities, finding ways to go on with a semi-normal life. In the realm of education, one example of such an adjustment is a charitable initiative by the venture builder CLUST, focused on creating smart shelters for students at Ukrainian universities.
Educational institutions in Ukraine are a frequent target for Russian attacks. One out of every five higher education institutions has been damaged or destroyed due to the war as of February 2024, according to research by the World Bank, the Ukrainian government, the European Union and the United Nations. Since Feb. 24, 2022, a total of 3,798 educational institutions across the country have been affected by bombings and shelling, with 365 completely destroyed. Among them, 63 higher education institutions sustained severe damage or were entirely demolished. Considering the gloomy statistics, it is clear why all universities in Ukraine are required to have a shelter. However, not all of the facilities are able to provide conditions that are adequate for studying.
This is largely caused by the lack of public funding for higher education distribution, as it was cut by 10% following the onset of full-scale armed aggression. On the other hand, many universities still hold classes online, meaning that most Ukrainian students are left without an opportunity to interact with their peers in person. CLUST SPACE, a shelter that functions like a shared educational space adapted for war conditions, aims to provide a solution for this problem. Funded by various private donors such as businesses and foundations, it has resources for meeting basic needs such as restrooms, showers and a room for sleeping, in addition to providing spaces for individual study, lectures, presentations, exams, hackathons and various student events. Projects like CLUST SPACE are essential for ensuring that the students have access to classroom-based learning in a safe space.
So far, the initiative has been implemented on campuses of two Ukrainian universities, in Kyiv and Dnipro. In the Ukrainian capital, CLUST SPACE is located in the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Library. In Dnipro, the smart shelter is built on the campus of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. The third smart shelter is going to be created in Odesa, a southern port city in Ukraine that suffers from frequent drone and missile attacks. The founders of CLUST are seeking funding sources for its construction in Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University. Thinking about Ukraine in our current reality, it is crucial to look beyond the large-scale politics of the war and take into account the lives of regular citizens. One way to deal with frustration over the news is by actively supporting Ukraine — whether by speaking out, attending rallies or contributing to initiatives that bolster its education system and defense capabilities.
