Ukraine Stories, from Ukraine's Teachers
Director of Ukraine Teachers' Program, Oksana Boiko
On the fourth of April, 2025, due to a missile attack by Russian troops on Kryvyi-Rih, 9 innocent children were killed, and 12 were injured. Those kids peacefully played on the playground and did not expect it to be their last game. Last smile, last touch, last word, last hug, last hope – everything turned into a bloody mess and ash for several Ukrainian families.
While killing Ukrainians physically, they also destroy the possibility for the development and growth of those who stay alive.
As an educated person, I know that Ukraine is falling into a lasting economic, ecological, and social chasm. In the eastern and southern parts of the country, kids cannot attend offline schools, colleges, universities, and kindergartens. They do not communicate with each other as they should. Russia takes away everything. They kill adults on the battlefield while killing their children in the playground.
What can a Ukrainian teacher do? They can give a piece of their heart to support their schoolchildren and their parents. They can teach by allowing everyone to develop the necessary knowledge and skills for a successful future life. They can teach the basic rules of personal safety. They can do so many things, more than one can even imagine, but …
Can Ukrainian teachers do everything themselves? Of course not. They also need a proper place to work, they need books, materials, and equipment. They need to feel safe and needed.
Thank you for joining the “Ukraine Stories” campaign to help Ukrainian teachers do their jobs properly, help Ukrainian children get quality education, and help Ukrainian society overcome the economic, ecological, and social gaps.
Watch the videos, comment on them, and share them with your friends. Consider lending $1.00 to help our program. We have a plan to repay the $1.00. Click here.
All the good things can happen only if we do them together.
Read Oksana's letter to Teachers. Click here.
We support our teachers and students in Ukraine.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help teachers tell their stories, to provide support for students, and to rebuild schools in Ukraine.
Tapping into the one trillion-dollar global advertising industry.
Advertisers spent one trillion dollars in 2024.
"Ukraine Stores" provides an online place where students, teachers, and parents from Ukraine will tell their stories to the world every day.
We will build a global audience for our stories and will inspire advertisers to support our content.
Ninety percent of our income will be donated to support our teachers and students and to rebuild schools in Ukraine.
We kickstart our program with $1.00 loans.
The Institute Lech Wałęsa (www.ilw.org.pl) and our California-registered nonprofit corporation (Inequity Repair) will work with students, parents, and teachers from Ukraine who want to tell their stories to the world. They will post their personal stories every day, and explain the need to provide support for our teachers and students and to fund the rebuilding of 1,600 schools in Ukraine. We will inspire supporters of Ukraine to visit the social media accounts of our storytellers every day, which will encourage advertisers to support our program. Ninety percent of our income is donated to support teachers and students and to rebuild damaged or destroyed schools. To begin, we will borrow $1.00 from a few million supporters of Ukraine. We will repay the $1.00 loans from our income from advertisers.
Thank you for lending $1.00 to help us get started.
The link below takes you to Institute Lech Wałęsa website.
You will see the words "Select an Amount." Go to the lower box on the right. "Other Amount" One dollar equals four PLN (Polish Złoty). Enter 4.00 in the box. Thank you. We will repay your 4 PLN from our ad revenue.
Marc Schechtman, Inequity Repair
Marc's grandmother was born in Odessa, Ukraine. His grandfather was from Berdychev. Marc served in the United States Air Force Reserves as a Chaplain's Assistant during the Vietnam War. He's been a school teacher for fifty years. Marc is dedicated to supporting students and teachers in Ukraine and to rebuild damaged and destroyed schools.
Institute Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa was the leader of the Solidarity Union that convinced the Soviet Union to allow free elections in Poland. Wałęsa was elected as the first President of post-communist Poland and is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Pictured above is President Wałęsa with his eldest son, Bogdan, who is now the Chairman of the Institute Lec
Lech Wałęsa was the leader of the Solidarity Union that convinced the Soviet Union to allow free elections in Poland. Wałęsa was elected as the first President of post-communist Poland and is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Pictured above is President Wałęsa with his eldest son, Bogdan, who is now the Chairman of the Institute Lech Wałęsa. The ILW has been a supporter of Ukraine and is dedicated to supporting teachers and students in Ukraine and the rebuilding of its schools.
Our Ukrainian Co-Founder
Katya Koval was born in Odessa, Ukraine. She moved to the United States twenty years ago and has an accounting degree. Katya is our business manager and our link to Ukraine. She is dedicated to supporting teachers and students in Ukraine and to rebuilding the 1,600 damaged and destroyed schools.
Director of Development, Content Providers
Iryna Kotsulym is a teacher living in Ukraine. She is responsible to develop and manage relationships with other teachers who will share their personal and professional stories with the world. Iryna is our leader of content development in Ukraine.
From one Teacher in Ukraine to All Teachers in Ukraine.
The work of a teacher is an extremely important mission on which the quality of life of many people in society depends. The knowledge and skills of modern teachers are much broader and more diverse compared to pre-war times. We have learned to provide high-quality educational services in an online format, using all possible means and techniques. Unfortunately, the value of the teaching profession is underestimated by the state and society, but this does not mean that we should also devalue ourselves.
During the war, everyone needs economic and psychological assistance. More than 1,600 schools were destroyed in Ukraine, including all our Kupyansk educational institutions. The first president of Poland, Lech Walesa, his institute, and the non-profit organization “Inequity Repair” launched the charity campaign “We all rebuild Ukraine” to earn money not through donations but by disseminating information about teachers, their lives, values, and needs. The funds raised will be used to rebuild buildings, provide school facilities, and support teachers and students.
Teachers' needs are not only a decent salary and recognition. They are a need to develop, spread knowledge, and make this world a better place. There is nothing more important than intelligent and socialized children who can think, ask questions, seek answers, communicate, use their knowledge, achieve their goals, and strive for more. Moreover, online communication will never be able to provide the healthy communication that our students need so much.
“Ukraine Stories” calls on every Ukrainian teacher to tell their story to be heard by the world community and thus contribute to the reconstruction of our schools destroyed by the aggressor.
We are sure that you have something to say. We are sure that you want your school to be rebuilt and provided with materials. We are sure that you want our country to prosper.
Take part in a program that aims to revive education and our country.
Sincerely,
Oksana Boyko.