New participants in the P.AGE project: libraries of the Voznesensk Lyceum and Sloboda Lyceum
We are pleased to announce two new libraries that have joined our P.AGE project in 2025. As a reminder, the P.AGE project aims to update and replenish children’s library collections in frontline and de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Its goal is to provide children with modern educational and developmental books in Ukrainian, support the educational process, and encourage reading.
Our set of 50 educational books, selected specifically for the project, is already on its way to its new home – library shelves. We will tell you where exactly in a moment 😊
The selected institutions are actively working to provide students with modern educational resources and books, even in difficult conditions. These are the libraries of lyceums in Voznesensk, Mykolaiv region, and Sloboda, Sumy region.
Library of Taras Shevchenko Lyceum in Voznesensk (Voznesensk, Mykolaiv Region)
Founded in 1989, Voznesensk Lyceum is the leading school in the city in terms of student performance in academic competitions and external independent testing. Since the liberation of the city, the school has continued to accept internally displaced students, and currently has 685 pupils.
During the invasion, the city was destroyed: on 2 March 2022, russian troops broke through to the outskirts of Voznesensk and blew up two bridges across the river to advance along the main road to Odesa and the nuclear power plant. Fighting took place in the city, and the homes of civilians were shelled. The battle for Voznesensk is considered one of the key episodes that prevented the occupiers from gaining control of southern Ukraine. During the russian invasion, the windows and ceiling of the lyceum’s assembly hall were damaged.
The lyceum library has about 60% Ukrainian-language books, but there is a shortage of contemporary works for students in grades 5–11 and reference books on various subjects. The institution is undergoing renovation as part of the President’s Great Construction programme and houses a school history museum, a resource room, two gyms, a self-government room and a modern library. Our educational set of 50 books for children of different ages will be a wonderful addition to the library.
Library of Sloboda Lyceum (Buryn City Council, Sumy Region)
The Sloboda Lyceum has been in existence since 1971 and has undergone several transformations: from a seven-year school to a modern base institution. The lyceum has 176 students, including children from other villages and communities. Classes are held in person with the use of distance learning technologies, and three school buses are available to transport students.
The institution’s library and media library were updated this academic year. The library manager actively organises educational and informational events, involving teachers, class teachers and students. The library’s collection is constantly being expanded, with particular attention paid to Ukrainian literature, reference books, encyclopaedias and psychological literature.
During the new phase of the P.AGE project, Sloboda Lyceum will also receive 50 educational books, which will help children expand their knowledge and increase their interest in learning.
Special thanks
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Alex Utecht, who made this donation in honour of his mother, Christine.
A donation was made to fund 2 full children’s libraries in the memory of Christine Utecht, who passed away on July 8, 2025. All those who were lucky enough to know her will agree that she would have been very glad to support a program like B50’s library program for children in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Chris was remarkably gifted with language; she grew up bilingual in Polish and English and went on to study several other languages, including German, Spanish, Latin, and French, the last of which she earned a college degree in. She had an eclectic literary appetite, and valued her local library, often checking out books and making donations to them. She had a truly impression vocabulary and loved playing any kind of game or puzzle that involved language. She would have been very happy to know her love of reading was the inspiration for a donation in her name to such a worthy cause.
Alex Utecht
We sincerely thank Alex for his generous donation. It is extremely touching and inspiring — thanks to his support, children at the Voznesensk and Sloboda lyceums will receive modern educational books that will help them in their studies and development. His contribution is truly a good and important cause, giving children the opportunity to discover a world of interesting books and knowledge.
The sets have been assembled and are already on their way to libraries, and we will be waiting for reports and feedback on our project!
