Dear friends!

My name is Olha Hryhoryan, and I’m a teacher and small school owner from Ukraine. My school offers English classes for kids as well as art and crafts, drama, etc.

I’m asking for your help as my business is struggling to survive in our new realia. My country, because of war, has to live in constant blackouts. There is no electricity for 8-16 hours a day. Our lessons start in the afternoon after the kids have done regular school. With short, grumpy winter days, we need extra light in the classrooms for the kids to read and write almost daily. I purchased several USB-charged lamps, torches, and power banks, but these devices are not supposed to work for 4-5 hours in a row day after day. A part of them went out of order in the first two weeks. Moreover, it almost impossible to buy new ones; people are sweeping from the shelves all lanterns, flashlights, and lights, and the prices of these items skyrocket.

As a school owner, I’m worried about the kids a teacher as reading, writing, drawing, or sewing in the dim light from a mobile or portable flashlight is not good for their eyesight, as many of them are wearing glasses.

We went through so much Covid online, war, alerts, missile strikes ( some of them being a refugee and losing their homes), and now new challenge blackouts. We became super flexible and resistant. Being deprived of normal education, Ukrainian kids value it more. I’m so proud of them. They rush to the lessons the minute the air strike alert is over, they learn to study in basements, and they never complain whether it’s a problem with the Internet or studying in a dark classroom.

I believe that they deserve that bit of normality as a lighted room or printed worksheet, not to say a working projector.

That’s why I want to buy a portable power station to have sufficient light for charging laptops and phones or having a cup of coffee for my teachers.

But the price is outrageous, 1700 EUR.

I’m pledging to donate any sum of money so that you can help us to survive that dark and difficult winter and give us a beam of light and hope.

I’ve never asked anything for myself before. Since the beginning of the war, I volunteered and helped those in need a lot. Together with my teacher friends, we established an NGO, Teachers for Peace, to help Ukrainian families and children. First 4 months, I worked 24/7 both as a volunteer coordinator at TFP and as a teacher and manager at my school, combining this with being a mom of 2 kids. Because of stress and burnout, I delegated my duties at TFP but remained as an advisor.

My husband went to the army the moment the war started. He said that he had to defend his family, home and country. He’s been at the frontline for 8 months and for that period, he was home only 7 days. He came last weekend for three days. My son wrote in his letter to Santa that he has only one desire - victory, another one is fulfilled - he saw his dad and can do only with a chocolate Santa.

The situation in Ukraine and in my city became much worse in October. Russian invaders decided to terrorize us with the complete blackout. They are aiming their evil missiles at Ukrainian electricity objects, destroying our critical infrastructure. Several times I witnessed missile attacks on my city, and a few of them nearby my house. I will never forget those sounds and black smoke. But the worst came after no light, no water, no Internet or mobile connection, and no heating (it’s winter).

My kids were at school shelters at that time, staying for a few hours in cold basements without light. I couldn’t reach them, and so I didn’t wait for the alert to be finished, I went for them to pick them up.

I remember how I was driving through a dark city, with jams as no traffic lights were working, with people trying to get home on foot in the darkness, with smoke covering the sunset sky. It was like those apocalypse Hollywood movies, but instead of watching them, I was living them.

We seem to stay strong but continuous stress does its work. My daughter had hysterics after staying for 5 hours in the dark basement during the last attack.