Myrhorod, Ukraine, 21 December 2022 – To support a small community in Poltava Oblast in eastern-central Ukraine to respond to the growing number of children wanting to study art and music, the European Union, its bank, the European Investment Bank, the UN Development Programme together with their local partners recently renovated an old two-story building that had been in disrepair for more than 20 years.

Its renovation started in 2020 and was supposed to be finished by spring 2022. The war delayed completion, but local government and construction workers continued their work despite the challenges. Today the renovated building can accommodate 800 students and 47 faculty members. The renovation work included the installation of new water supply and sewerage networks, lighting and power, fire alarm systems, access for persons with disabilities, replacement of windows and doors, and a new roof.

Speaking at the official opening of the new facility, Ivan Lukeria, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, said the children of today will lead the Ukraine of tomorrow, and “their academic, artistic and psychological development and well-being must be supported in all ways possible.”

The renovation work was financed through a $509,000 loan from the European Investment Bank, the bank of the European Union, supported by $157,000 (5.77 million UAH) in co-financing from the city and $217,000 (8 million UAH) from the oblast. 

Deputy Minister of Finance Olga Zykova said that since the launch of the war more than 200,000 internally displaced persons have found refuge in the Poltava region, including many families with children. "Today, the art school opens its doors, and about 800 children will be able to attend music and art classes," she said. "We are grateful to the European Investment Bank and the United Nations Development Programme for their support and highly appreciate our partners’ ongoing active assistance in developing and restoring the damaged infrastructure of Ukraine. The implementation of international financial projects is an integral part of the further economic development of the country."

Jean-Erik de Zagon, Head of the Resident Representation of the European Investment Bank to Ukraine: “I am very glad that, despite the war, we were able to continue building and respond to the growing need of the communities in Ukraine. This is the main goal of the EIB and EU support for Ukraine. I am grateful to the construction workers, local authorities and our partners on the ground for their courage, resilience and strength that made this school opening possible. Children are the most vulnerable victims of the war, and it is crucial to help them distract from all the horrors they are going through. We are proud that we’ve provided Ukrainian children with a comfortable and modern educational environment. Education is key to a sense of normalcy as we stand with Ukraine.” 

For many people living in a crisis, art and music are much more than aesthetics and entertainment – they are lifelines to healing and well-being. Clinically speaking, art can help reduce tension and anxiety, setting a strong foundation for the process of healing or coping with lifelong disabilities. Art can also provide relief for PTSD and other issues stemming from exposure to extreme violence.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Christophoros Politis said it is increasingly important in Ukraine to invest in rehabilitating social infrastructure to ensure the non-interrupted provision of basic services. “The art school reopening today reconfirms the importance of investing in the psycho-social well-being of children, and more broadly of the communities, to address the diverse impacts of war,” he said. “We need to sustain investments in resilience to ensure Ukraine’s development achievements and gains remain on track.”

Background: The renovation of the arts school in Poltava Oblast is supported as part of the EIB’s Ukraine Early Recovery Programme. Ukraine Early Recovery Programme is a EUR 200 million multi-sectoral framework loan from the European Investment Bank to local authorities to rehabilitate social infrastructure and improve living conditions for internally displaced persons and their host communities in nine oblasts of Ukraine: the Ukrainian government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Odesa, Kherson, and Kyiv oblasts. The Program is implemented by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine jointly with the local self-government bodies under the technical support of the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP).

Media enquiries: Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org