A Digital Lifeline

ECW-funded EDUTech labs set up by UNICEF & Ministry of Education demonstrate transformative power of digital education for Ukrainian youth in Moldova

By Education Cannot Wait

August 12^th, 2024

Adapted Story from the Field. Special Contribution by UNICEF Moldova (Original).

On 22 February 2022, Nadejda’s life was turned upside down. Two years later, the 16-year-old still recalls the day clearly.

"It was an ordinary February day. I was getting ready for school, but then I saw the news and realized something terrible was happening. I was afraid that the missiles might hit our house too.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sparked a deadly armed conflict – and for four weeks, Nadejda and her family sheltered in the basement of their building in Berezovca, fearing a missile strike. After it became clear that the situation was only growing more dangerous, they decided to flee for safety, settling in neighboring Moldova.

Nadejda’s entire life changed in an instant. She worried what her future would look like in a new country and after the abrupt disruption to her education.

Today, the teen is feeling settled, welcomed and learning again.

She spends much of her school day at the EDUTech lab at her new high school in Cahul, Moldova – where she’s able to connect to Ukrainian Ministry of Education platforms and continue her learning remotely. EDUTech labs were established by UNICEF and Moldova's Ministry of Education and Research, and are funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, and the Governments of the United Kingdom and Italy.

Nadejda, 16, at school in Cahul, Moldova. © UNICEF Moldova/Buga

A Life Changed

"The alarms were ringing day and night. We hid almost every day. When we realized that the situation was getting worse, we decided to move temporarily to Moldova.”

Nadejda recalls the journey from Berezovca to Moldova in a minibus crowded with families like hers seeking safety and hope. Once in Moldova, and away from the daily threat of missile attacks, digital learning made it possible for Nadejda to continue her education.

Connecting online, the teen continued lessons remotely with her teachers from Berezovca, and eventually virtually graduated from the 9th grade.

"Now I am in the 11th grade at Dimitrie Cantemir High School in Cahul. My younger sister also studies here.”

Nadejda, 16, and her classmates at her high school's EDUTech lab in Cahul, Moldova. © UNICEF Moldova/Buga

Connecting through EDUTech Labs

Digital learning remains a lifeline for Nadejda to continue the learning trajectory she was on in Ukraine. At her new high school, she and classmates spend a lot of time in the ECW-funded EDUTech lab.

A core function of these labs is to provide support for students connecting to the learning platforms developed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education for those learning remotely due to the war, while also supporting the integration of Ukrainian students in the education system in Moldova.

The labs facilitate connections to online learning platforms and provide a protective environment, offering mental health and psychosocial support services, information on child protection policies, and referrals to counseling and protection support services.

The EDUTech labs are learning spaces that provide non-formal and formal education activities, as well as recreational activities such as music, drawing, sports, chess, Romanian, English and STEM lessons.

The EDUTech labs are equipped with modern IT equipment – which make for an enriching and supportive learning environment for Nadejda and her classmates.

“In the EDUTech lab, it's different – we have these unusual desks, an interactive whiteboard and modern computers. Here, I have everything, even more than in Ukraine. My classmates accepted me easily into their group. I feel comfortable here.”

Nadejda, 16, at her school's EDUTech Lab in Cahul, Moldova. © UNICEF Moldova/Buga

The teachers at the labs are also given training and tools to best support newcomer students like Nadejda.

Teachers are trained in inclusive education, child protection and gender-based violence prevention. They also learn how to provide psychosocial first aid, report cases of child abuse and neglect – and also benefit from training in innovative digital learning.

Nadejda is enjoying all of the lessons and building up her digital skills. "Now we're doing an IT lesson. Last year, we studied web design and each student did a digital project – developing a website. My project is about constellations."

Today, 98 EDUTech labs have been established throughout Moldova to support Ukrainian learners.

Nadejda, 16, shows off her constellations website, a project she completed at her school's EDUTech Lab in Cahul, Moldova. © UNICEF Moldova/Buga

ECW Supports Learning in Moldova

The ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine has triggered internal displacement and an influx of refugees into neighboring countries, including Moldova, which has received one of the highest numbers of refugees comparative to its population size.

This sudden arrival of refugees from Ukraine has placed tremendous pressure on the Moldovan education system to accommodate additional students.

ECW is supporting the Moldovan Ministry of Education and Research and in-country partners through a First Emergency Response grant to ensure that displaced girls and boys – like Nadejda – have access to quality learning opportunities in Moldova. The emergency grant is implemented by UNICEF, in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee and Plan International, along with their national partners.

In supporting the EDUTech labs initiative, ECW investments in Moldova are not only helping maintain learning continuity for crisis-affected children and youth, but also providing them with crucial support during this time of upheaval.

It has been two years since Nadejda and her family fled Ukraine.

The teen is not sure if she will ever return to her home country, but she hopes that the war will end soon. For now, she feels welcomed by her peers, and plans to graduate in Cahul and continue her studies in a university in Moldova or abroad.

Living in safety, and continuing her education thanks to access to digital tools and supportive teachers, Nadejda is once again able to dream of her future.

And the possibilities are endless.

"I would like to become a veterinarian. I love animals. I had a puppy in Ukraine, who is now in my grandmother's care. But I'm also thinking of becoming a designer – I'm good at color composition and drawing."

Nadejda, 16, in Cahul, Moldova. © UNICEF Moldova/Buga

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