Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, this situation has further deteriorated. UNICEF estimates that there are approximately 2.5 million internally displaced children and more than 5 million who are no longer attending school.
According to April data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, at least 869 educational facilities (about 6% of all schools in the country) were damaged and 83 were destroyed.
Misiones Salesianas, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, reports that in 200 Salesian homes in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova, material assistance, housing, health and psychological care, food and spiritual accompaniment are being offered to those arriving from Ukraine.
Over 800 children continue to attend Salesian schools in person in Ukraine, while more than 80% of pupils attend classes online from other countries.