Lithuania collaborates with international partners to support the recovery of Ukraine’s education sector. This September, students of Snihurivka’s Vocational Lyceum in the Mykolaiv region will return to comprehensive offline studies. Thanks to the initiative of Lithuania and Andorra, future tractor drivers, cooks, mechanics, painters, and managers will begin learning essential professional skills.
The fruitful cooperation has revitalized an educational institution critical to providing the skills that are in high demand in Ukraine’s job market today.
Dmytro Zavhorodniy, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine recognizes the strategic importance of vocational and technical education as a cornerstone for rebuilding Ukraine’s economy. He emphasized that it could catalyse economic growth, aligning with the goals of economic revival.
Snihurivka Vocational Lyceum, offering training in various specialties, suffered extensive damage during the Russian occupation. Occupiers used the lyceum as their base, mutilating the buildings and stealing equipment, multimedia tools, and furniture. Left with almost nothing, the lyceum could not continue the educational process. International partners helped repair the building, but continuing the studies was impossible without the necessary equipment for training and workshops. Working closely with partners on the ground and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, CPVA experts identified this need.
Targeted Support from Andorra
Shortly after signing the Memorandum of Understanding between Lithuania and Andorra about targeted contribution for supporting educational recovery in Snihurivka, funds allocated to the Fund for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid were directed to support the lyceum.
As emphasized by Imma Tor Faus, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra, “The Government of Andorra is contributing to the rehabilitation of the Snihurivka Professional Lyceum. Lithuania’s participation in this project for the reconstruction of Ukraine responds to a humanitarian urgency and reflects Andorra’s priority commitment to education. Ensuring access to quality education is essential for the future of Ukrainian youth and for the revival of the country’s economy.”
After assessing the needs, CPVA purchased and delivered the essential equipment. The lyceum now has a set of professional tools for training in the agriculture field, locksmiths repairing, painters and plasterers, bookkeepers for accounting data registration, cooks and confectioners.
“To direct targeted contribution of Andorra, we evaluated educational needs in the town. Together with our Ukrainian partners on the ground, we identified that Snihurivka’s Vocational Lyceum requires support the most to start the school year on time. We sincerely appreciate this international cooperation and Andorra’s trust in the implementing this project,” said Artūras Žarnovskis, “Co-create Future of Ukraine programme” manager.
For Lithuania and CPVA, Snihurivka’s projects are a part of the larger efforts on Ukraine’s education recovery, including those implemented with international partners’ support. Among major projects are the restoration of “Rūta” kindergarten in Irpin and the school in Borodyanka, furnishing of the kindergarten in Borodyanka rebuilt by the American NGO “Hope Foundation,” the anti-radiation shelter construction for the kindergarten in Irpin, and the ongoing project of building a modular school in Zeleny Hai, Mykolaiv region – all recovery projects were funded by Lithuania’s Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund and implemented with Taiwanese contributions. Currently, the 15.5 million project to build 5 stand-alone dual-usage bomb shelters is being implemented together with the European Union.
