Nadejda found hope in a high school from Cahul

"It was an ordinary February day. I was getting ready for school, but then I saw the news and realized something terrible was happening. I was afraid that the missiles might hit our house too," said Nadejda from Berezovca city, Odessa region, recalling he first day of war in Ukraine, 24 February 2022.

Nadejda, 16, fled to Moldova two years ago with her mother and sisters - Varvara, 10, and Anastasia, 21.

"From Berezovca, we came by minibus to Odessa and then by bus to the border with Moldova. It was a big bus with many people who, like us, were seeking hope", Nadejda told us.

Although they hoped that the situation would improve, the fear that a missile would destroy their home and lives forced them to leave their country and seek peace in Moldova. They arrived in Moldova on 24 March 2022, after four weeks of fear spent in the basement of the building where they lived.

"The alarms were ringing day and night. We hid almost every day. When we realized that the situation was getting worse, we decided to move temporarily to Moldova, to my mother's parents in Cantemir. They hosted us when we just arrived”, the adolescent girl told us.

In Moldova, Nadejda continued to attend online lessons with her teachers from Berezovca. Also online, she graduated 9th grade.

"Now I am in the 11th grade at Dimitrie Cantemir High School in Cahul. My younger sister also studies here, and my elder sister returned to Ukraine, where my second grandmother also lives. There is no one in our house anymore, but at least we know that missiles didn't damage it."

At her current high school, Nadejda and her classmates spend a lot of time in the EDUTech lab, where most lessons are held.

EDUTech lab are learning spaces that provide  non-formal and formal education activities, recreational activities such as music, drawing, sports games, chess competitions, Romanian, English, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) lessons, as well as support for student who connect to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education platforms developed for children who are learning remotely due to the war.

This is one of 81 EDUTech labs nationwide, established by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Research.

"Now, we're having an IT lesson here. Last year, we studied web design, and each student did a digital project - developing a website. My project is about constellations," Nadejda tells us enthusiastically.

EDUTech labs are equipped with modern IT equipment, and teachers are trained in child protection, inclusive education, and gender-based violence prevention. They learn how to provide psychosocial first aid, report cases of child abuse and neglect, and benefited from training in IT and innovative digital learning.

"In the EDUTech lab, it's different - we have these unusual desks, an interactive whiteboard, and modern computers. Here, I have everything, even more than in Ukraine. My classmates accepted me easily into their group. I feel comfortable here," she added.

More than 550 children study at the Dimitrie Cantemir High School in Cahul, including 25 refugee children from Ukraine. Currently, more than two thousand Ukrainian refugee children are enrolled in Moldovan schools and kindergartens.

Nadejda plans to graduate in Cahul and continue her studies at a university in Moldova or abroad.

"I would like to become a veterinarian - I love animals. I also had a puppy, who is now in my grandmother's care. But I'm also thinking of becoming a designer - I'm good at color composition and drawing," she said.

Moldova has become a new home for Nadejda and thousands of other children and their families from Ukraine for the past two years. In Cahul, Nadejda and her family have successfully integrated and even discovered places for their soul.

"Here, I like to go to bookstores. In Berezovca, we didn't have book shops," the teenager said.

Although she is not sure if she will ever return home to Ukraine, Nadejda hopes that the war will end soon. She is glad to have the opportunity to continue her studies and benefit from all the modern learning opportunities that EDUTech labs offer.

In Moldova, Nadejda discovered that her name, translated from Russian, means "hope," which encourages her to believe in her bright future when she can see her friends, relatives, and the house where she grew up.

The EDUTech laboratories were established thanks to the financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom, the Government of Italy and Education Cannot Wait, in the context of the emergency response to the refugee crisis.