A Rotary International Global Grant

"I want to be like other children. I want to study."

— A student at Vyvodove Gymnasium, 20 miles from the front line

For four years, students and teachers at this rural Ukrainian school have attended classes online, in bomb shelters, and through the constant weight of war. Help us build a Peace & Mental Health Resource Center — a sanctuary for resilience, art therapy, and trauma-informed care.

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See the Plan

100% of your donation reaches the project · 501(c)(3) tax-deductible

Year 5

of war endured by
students and teachers

42%

of schoolchildren show
signs of psychological distress

250

families who depend on
the school as a cornerstone

100%

of every donation reaches
the project — nothing withheld

Our Story

A school that refuses to give up

Vyvodove is a rural settlement in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, about 20 miles from the active front line in eastern Ukraine. The community has almost no specialized health services — the school psychologist often serves as the only mental-health consultant for the entire village.

Classes continue under conditions no child should have to learn in. When air-raid sirens sound, lessons move online or into bomb shelters. Families are displaced. Teachers are exhausted. And yet the Vyvodove Gymnasium remains a cornerstone — a place where students still gather, still study, and still hold the Ukrainian flag high.

"The idea is to start treatment before full PTSD sets in. We see this as a low-risk pilot — and if it succeeds, it can be scaled to other communities." Adam Blackwell, President 2025–2026, Rotary Club of Clearwater

Students at Vyvodove Gymnasium holding the Ukrainian flag inside their classroom.

The Need

What four years of war looks like from a classroom

Teachers and health workers surveyed at Vyvodove Gymnasium shared a picture that is painful — and preventable.

42% of schoolchildren show signs of psychological distress
Teachers are experiencing emotional burnout and overload
Families report rising anxiety, loss, and social disconnection
Learning gaps are widening with every year of disruption

The community's primary request is not infrastructure. It is a systemic, sustainable mental-health program — one that builds emotional resilience in children and gives adults the tools to help.

A student stands in front of the war-pocked wall of Vyvodove Gymnasium.

The Plan

A Peace & Mental Health Resource Center

A dedicated room inside the Gymnasium — renovated, equipped, and staffed — where every child, teacher, and family can access trauma-informed care, creative expression, and a moment of calm.

①

Facility Renovation

Ergonomic furniture, adjustable lighting, soft textures, and interactive tools — a space engineered to calm the nervous system.

②

Trauma-Informed Training

Courses for teachers and staff on trauma-informed care, risk and protective factors, and resilience-building in the classroom.

③

Certified Psychologist

Individual and group sessions for students, teachers, and parents — because recovery is a community practice, not a solo one.

④

Art & Music Therapy

Drawing, modeling, embroidery, and sound-based relaxation — creative outlets that help children process what words cannot hold.

⑤

Interactive Learning

Board games, sensory tables, and touch panels that rebuild cooperative play and communication — skills eroded by isolation and war.

⑥

EORE & Family Outreach

Explosive-Ordnance Risk Education for students, and parent workshops that reduce stigma and help families speak openly about mental health.

A School at Three Moments

Before the war, after the strikes, and where learning happens now

Rebuilding the old school would only invite more damage. To protect students and teachers, classes — and the new Peace & Mental Health Resource Center — have been moved underground.

Before the war

Before

Vyvodove Gymnasium — a cornerstone of the village.

Children performing a traditional Ukrainian dance.

Before

Students performing a traditional dance.

Young women in blue and yellow — the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Before

The colors of Ukraine, held high.

The old school, after four years of war

Front of Vyvodove Gymnasium with pockmarked walls.

The same entrance, four years into the war.

A damaged classroom interior no longer safe to occupy.

A classroom no longer safe to occupy.

A damaged classroom missing basic materials.

Classrooms stripped of basic materials.

Where learning happens now

To manage the risk of ongoing strikes, the classroom and the Peace & Mental Health Resource Center have been moved underground. These protected spaces let students continue learning — and let teachers and counselors do their work — without further disruption or damage.

Underground

A new classroom, coming together below ground.

Underground

New desks, games, and teaching materials arriving.

Underground

Safe storage for books, games, and art supplies.

Where We'll Serve

Vyvodove, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

A small rural settlement in southeastern Ukraine, 20 miles from the active front line.

Map of Ukraine showing Russian-held territories.

Ukraine at a glance

The orange-shaded regions mark territory currently affected by conflict. Vyvodove sits just outside, near the front line.

Vyvodove village

Myrivska community, Nikopol District — a rural settlement with limited access to mental-health services.

The school, from above

Vyvodivs'ka Zahal'noosvitnya Shkola — the Gymnasium that serves 250 families.

Budget & Transparency

Exactly where your donation goes

This is a Rotary International Global Grant — every dollar is audited, accounted for, and spent on the project. Here is the full budget.

Art Therapy programming$13,175

Interactive learning games$7,010

Certified psychologist & training$3,400

Art & craft supplies$1,940

Contingency fund$1,495

Projector & screen$950

Ergonomic bag-style armchair$700

Humidifier & air purifier$600

Puff balls for children's play$460

Lighting & speaker system$270

Total project budget$30,000

100% to the Project

Grant funds are disbursed to the Rotary Club of Dnipro Novyi, which oversees procurement, installation, and counseling implementation — with reporting back to Rotary International and the donor community.

Your U.S. donation flows through The Rotary Club of Clearwater Charities, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You will receive a formal tax-deductible receipt for every gift.

Federal Tax ID: 51-0188524 · State of Florida: CH58829
Supported by Rotary District 6950 and Rotary International.

Partners

Built and backed by Rotary

A coalition of Rotary Clubs in the United States and Ukraine, supported by Rotary International and District leadership.

Rotary International

Global Grant funder

Rotary Club of Clearwater

U.S. sponsoring club · District 6950

Rotary Club of Dnipro Novyi

Host club · District 2232, Ukraine

Vyvodove Gymnasium

Pilot site · Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Donate

Turn a pocket into a lifeline

A $50 donation buys art supplies for a month of therapy. A $250 donation funds a teacher's trauma-informed training. A $1,000 donation seeds the whole center with sensory equipment.

Every dollar is tax-deductible, and every dollar reaches Vyvodove. Your donation pays for art therapy, a certified psychologist, calming spaces, and the training that will let teachers carry this work forward long after the grant ends.

"Your donation will be used to support trauma care for the 250 families and children from the Vyvodove Gymnasium." From the donor acknowledgment letter

Rotary Club of Clearwater Charities, Inc. · 501(c)(3)

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Donor recognition: Every gift receives a formal 501(c)(3) tax-deductible receipt. Gifts of $250+ receive a personalized thank-you letter from the Rotary Club of Clearwater. The mailing address you enter on the secure payment screen is used to mail your recognition letter.

"I want to be like other children. I want to study."

A school that refuses to give up

What four years of war looks like from a classroom

A Peace & Mental Health Resource Center

Facility Renovation

Trauma-Informed Training

Certified Psychologist

Art & Music Therapy

Interactive Learning

EORE & Family Outreach

Before the war, after the strikes, and where learning happens now

Before the war

The old school, after four years of war

Where learning happens now

Vyvodove, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

Ukraine at a glance

Vyvodove village

The school, from above

Exactly where your donation goes

100% to the Project

Built and backed by Rotary

Turn a pocket into a lifeline

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