Ukraine (MNN) — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of refugees fanning out all across Europe. It also meant an interruption in education for thousands of Ukrainian kids.
How will this crisis impact Ukraine in the future? David Durance serves with TeachBeyond, a ministry that provides education access worldwide in Jesus’ name. He says, “That’s not very well researched. But what is researched is the pandemic.”
Durance cites this article from The Economist, which examines the impact of the pandemic on kids’ education. “Even in that level of crisis, kids could not be in the classroom. They were getting at least something online, or at least many kids did. Even that is going to have, 10 years out, hugely detrimental effects on the mental health of these kids.”
And this damage can last generations, Durance says. If kids aren’t cared for, that impacts how they interact with their kids.
Education is a key part of breaking this cycle in Ukraine and the many other refugee crises around the world. Durance says, “There’s not one parent I’ve ever met who does not desire the absolute best for their children.”
“They say, ‘We desire English, we desire the ability to teach, to succeed in life, and to have to tools to go forward in life.”
As they provide these things, TeachBeyond shares about the love of Jesus. Ask God to move through this work. Pray Ukraine will be transformed and healed.
The header photo shows the aftermath of a Russian attack on a Ukrainian shopping mall in June 2022. (Photo courtesy of Dsns.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
