For most children, September 1 means the start of a new school year — seeing friends again, meeting new classmates, learning new things and looking forward to what the year will bring.
For children in Ukraine, the reality of war has changed what going back to school looks like. But reaching safety can give them something important back: the chance to learn, connect with others, grow and simply be children.
Between January and July 2026, Team4UA and partners of the TERA Consortium helped 672 children and their families leave dangerous areas and move to safer places.
Evacuation is about more than getting to safety. It can mean being able to return to school, make new friends, continue learning and start thinking about the future again.
According to UNICEF, 4.6 million children in Ukraine face barriers to education because of the war. Some 2.59 million children are displaced, including more than 791,000 internally displaced within Ukraine.
For many children, the war still affects where and how they can learn. Some are starting the school year in a new school. Others are learning online, in a new city or in a new classroom.
The way children learn may change. Their right to education should not.
This Knowledge Day, we want to thank everyone who helps children keep learning and gives them the chance to simply be children — teachers, parents, schools, humanitarian workers, volunteers and everyone who works every day to keep them safe.
We wish every student a year full of new discoveries, opportunities, good people around them and confidence in themselves.
May every child have the chance to learn, make friends, grow and simply be a child.
Happy Knowledge Day!
