B50 volunteers begin to transform the new children’s bomb shelter!

B50 activists from the Reconstruction project have begun repairs in the bomb shelter of the Zavorychi Gymnasium (Brovary district, Kyiv region). After them, the volunteers from the Shelters project will take over this location and decorate the walls with unique drawings. In this way, we will create a safe and cozy space where children can stay during air raids.

We received funds for this facility from the NGO ChangeX, which had previously included our pilot project to transform the Kozachok kindergarten shelter in Bucha in its guide. Representatives of ChangeX contacted us to agree on the placement of the B50 case on their website and offered to participate in their project. The B50 team was just considering a new shelter (in Zavorychi), so we applied and fulfilled all the necessary conditions (ChangeX recommendations, online interview, submission of documents, and preparation of a plan). After reviewing the application, we successfully received funds for the project. The money will be used to purchase building materials and paints to transform the shelter. The work will be done by volunteers.

We are taking care of this shelter because it is not only a hiding place on paper. It was here that the locals hid during the occupation of the village at the beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022. And they had a reason to hide – enemy shelling destroyed private homes and the 150-year-old St. George’s Church, which had survived the First and Second World Wars!

The most interested target audience of the project is educators and families whose children study at this institution (there are currently 185 such children). The availability of a comfortable shelter is a guarantee of safe full-time education and activities of the institution.

The shelter is clean, dry, and consists of many rooms and passageways. During the transformation, we will pay special attention to two small rooms for preschoolers and two large rooms for primary school students.

The following stages of the shelter’s transformation are planned:

1. Preparatory work on the walls, ceiling and floor.
2. Waterproofing (if necessary, in case of defects detected after the start of work).
3. Repair and installation of flooring.
4. Improvement of the ventilation system.
5. Elimination of significant wall defects.
6. Painting the walls and ceiling.
7. Decorating the walls with drawings.
8. Other arrangement of the shelter, including games, toys, books, equipment, etc.

We show you what the shelter looks like now. It will start to change very soon, as volunteer trips to Zavorychi are planned every weekend, and the first one has already taken place on December 2-3, 2023. Join in!