Tsyrkunivska hromada (Ukraine's consolidated local self-government unit) in Kharkiv oblast met 1 September with a celebration. Children in embroidered shirts, blue-and-yellow flags on the stage, a hall full of parents and teachers. Pupils performed songs and poems, and at the end each of them received a gift set for the new school year.
For a hromada that lives close to the front line, getting everyone into one hall is an event in itself. Here 1 September has long stopped being an ordinary date in the calendar.
We have worked with Tsyrkuny since September 2024. Each autumn, before the heating season starts, we hand the hromada petrol generators from 3 to 9 kVA: they keep light and heat in the facilities that serve people. Every consignment is covered by a separate handover act.
We set out how this work is organised and what has been done together with the hromada in the article "Tsyrkuny 2030: the foundation's contribution".
Teachers, parents and the local self-government organised the celebration for the children. We are glad that the hromada, with which we are now in our third year of joint work, found the strength to hold 1 September the way it should be: with songs, balloons and presents.
