Bridging the Gap in Education for Ukraine’s Displaced Children: How War Child’s Can’t Wait to Learn is Making a Difference

Bringing Education Back to Ukraine's Displaced Children

The ongoing war in Ukraine has disrupted millions of lives. Over three million children are displaced – of which over two million have fled the country and around one million are internally displaced. Education for all children in Ukraine is severely impacted. With more than 3,700 educational institutions having suffered bombing and shelling, and 365 of them ending up completely destroyed. This does not only shatter Ukrainian infrastructure but also impacts Ukrainian communities at home and abroad.

In the face of war, the fundamental right to education stands vulnerable. Educational disruption is preventing children from learning basic literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for their development. The need for innovative solutions to support learning amidst the ongoing chaos is urgent.

The stories from young learners are heart-wrenching. "I miss my school," says Anya, a 10-year-old from Kyiv. "I miss my friends and my teacher, but now we have to hide whenever we hear the alarms." Such personal accounts underline the urgency of finding solutions that work even in displacement and uncertainty.

Our Response

To tackle this dire situation, in May 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) and the largest education non-profit in Ukraine, Osvitoria, approached War Child to find a solution to reach and teach mathematics and reading to some of their youngest learners - children in grades 1-4. In September 2022, War Child alongside First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Andrii Vitrenko, deployed the award-winning Can’t Wait to Learn programme in Ukraine.

Can't Wait to Learn is a digital personalised learning platform that is focused on accelerating children affected by conflict's foundational literacy and numeracy development. Can't Wait to Learn is committed to testing, learning and evolving – working closely with partners to ensure the best possible outcomes for children everywhere.

Since launching Can’t Wait To Learn Ukraine, the programme has achieved remarkable milestones. Since its launch in September 2022, the app has been downloaded over 135,000 times already, of which more than 103,000 are unique and active users. A true community is forming with over 4,500 teachers across Ukraine who are receiving monthly updates.

The key to these accomplishments lies in the programme's innovative and evidence-based design. Can’t Wait to Learn is co-created with Ukrainian children and artists, ensuring that the 'game world' feels familiar and aligns with the national curriculum. This approach maintains educational standards and supports children's psychological well-being through culturally and contextually relevant content. In addition, rigorous research on the programme including in Uganda and Sudan has helped improve the effectiveness of this initiative.

What's Next?

Looking ahead, our priority is to expand the programme’s reach and eventually hand it over to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education. The focus is now on increasing accessibility for more teachers and students, strengthening partnerships, and integrating the programme into Ukraine’s educational infrastructure. This includes expanding the teacher network of master trainers and working closely with the Ministry to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.

“We’re at a critical moment in scaling Can’t Wait to Learn across Ukraine. We have reached over 140,000 children so far and have plans to support the learning of hundreds of thousands more over the coming years,” says Can’t Wait to Learn’s Programme Director Luke Stannard.

The programme has supported the learning journey of over 205,000 affected children in Ukraine and seven other countries. By offering engaging, culturally relevant lessons, children can keep learning despite the chaos of war.