Ukraine Humanitarian Relief for Lviv Region Kindergartens

Introduction 

This report sets forth the activities undertaken by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in partnership with the Ukraine Children’s Action Project (UCAP) to provide generators to schools and child care centers in the Lviv region this past winter. 

Background 

In October 2022, AFT President Randi Weingarten traveled to Lviv, Ukraine, on a solidarity mission with  the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine (TUESWU). During this mission, the  delegation met with the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi. Mayor Sadovyi appealed to the AFT and the  Ukraine Children’s Action Project to provide generators for school classrooms to help ensure that as  many schools as possible could be kept open during the harsh winter months. He pointed out that  keeping children in physical schools provided not only continued learning during the crisis but also social  and emotional support. The mayor advised that the assistance could be provided in cooperation with his  office of education administration and local TUESWU leader Maria Yatseiko. 

The greatest need identified was room generators for 50 kindergarten classrooms and pre-K education  centers. These children are most vulnerable to the severity of the cold winter. Because of the attacks on  Ukraine’s infrastructure, generators are required not only for heat during the winter, but also for other  year-round uses. Now more than ever, these classrooms provide children with an indispensable source  of community and normalcy during a time when their homes are under threat every day. 

This mission was the result of the AFT’s longstanding partnerships with UCAP, TUESWU and the Polish  Teachers Union (ZNP). The partnership between the AFT and TUESWU is forged in our relationship with  Education International. 

Procurement Process 

Procuring the required generators began in January 2023, with assistance from Ambassador L. Craig  Johnstone and ZNP International Secretary Dorota Obidniak. Considering the requests of the Lviv Region  TUESWU, we began the process of researching three-phase generators that would be able to provide  enough electricity for classrooms to allow them to function during power outages, operate computers,  charge devices and provide for any other needs that the schools might have. 

Ambassador Johnstone suggested a company in Paris that he had used for this same purpose earlier in  2022. Due to time restraints and other constrictions, it was decided not to use this company. A process  was initiated through the ZNP to search for bids in Poland, led by Obidniak. For approximately one  month, Obidniak collected bids for 50 Honda, Daewoo and other three-phase generators. Once these  bids were collected, 50 generators powered by 8 kilowatts and priced at approximately $1,900 per unit  were purchased from ANB, at a total cost of $99,172. 

Generator Delivery 

Once the generators were sourced, the next step was getting them across the border and into Ukraine.  To this end, we enlisted the assistance of the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, Marek Ziolkowski and Michal  Pochodyla. They were able to quickly enlist the services of FOP KUTS-Karpenko Y.V., a company that is  integrated with Ukrainian police forces and was thus able to provide the proper documentation and  security to enable rapid transportation through the Poland-Ukraine border. This process cost $4,200. 

The delivery of the 50 generators took approximately three days, as the shipping company drove across  the city and the region. They delivered the generators, ensured they operated properly and trained the  relevant staff on how to operate them. This process was conducted without any major delays or  complications. 

On the first day of deliveries, another AFT delegation visited one of the kindergartens. The delegation,  led by AFT Vice President Shari Obrenski and UCAP co-founder Karen Redlener, was joined by the head  of the Lviv TUESWU, Maria Yatseko. The delegation was given a brief tour of the school, before being led  to a room containing 25 generators and representatives from various kindergartens that would be  receiving them. Vice President Obrenski gave a speech thanking the unions and groups involved and  offering solidarity with the teachers of Ukraine, and was followed by Redlener, who discussed the  importance of the work these teachers are doing and how she and her colleagues felt privileged to have  had the chance to help them.  

Yatseko gave the delegation a tour of the kindergarten’s bomb shelter and the generators were  distributed. The remaining generators were delivered over the next two days. Below is a list of schools who recieved the generators.

Meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Lviv 

The delegation was welcomed in Lviv by Deputy Mayor Andriy Moskalenko. Moskalenko thanked the  delegation for coming back to the city in the midst of renewed Russian attacks, and for answering the  mayor’s request for generators. He discussed the values of our collaboration with the Lviv government  and how only through continued cooperation can Ukraine persevere through this war and beyond.