Join our mission to empower the future political, social and business leaders of Ukraine to become confident global citizens.
Donate NowIt’s a place where curiosity, creativity and friendships flourish and children become knowledgeable, confident global citizens with hope for the future.
Svitlo means ‘light’ and we bring this through a free, extracurricular online school in English. Svitlo School is a registered charity in England and Wales, and we equip students with:
Svitlo students learn from an international community of volunteers, supported by a dedicated team of educators and Ukrainian refugees in the UK.
The future of Ukraine lies with the next generation, equipped to build a new independent country and establish social, political and business relationships with Europe and the rest of the world.
9,474
hours taught
540
students supported
63
classes per week
data Sep 2023 to Jul 2024
The darkness of war is pervasive across every aspect of life for millions of Ukrainian children.
Basement shelters. Power outages. Damaged schools. Being forced to leave their schoolfriends, family members and communities. The impact of lost learning and reduced socialisation on their education, wellbeing and future.
Svitlo School began life in response to the Russian invasion of March 2022, founded by educational expert Yuliya Kosko. Since then we have reached over 2,500 children during the most challenging time of their young lives.
Credit: ‘Tanks on the Playground, HRW, Nov 2023 (Kharkiv)
3,790
schools either damaged or destroyed
42%
of children have limited or no access to classroom learning
52%
of teachers report a decrease in foreign language abilities
Data sourced from Human Rights Watch Nov 2023, Save the Children Sep 2023, UNICEF Aug 2023
"The teenagers I have met here want to learn languages, want to create, want to improve themselves. This is what I was searching for.”
Dariana, Svitlo Student
“There is an opportunity to communicate with someone my age because I don’t have friends around here to talk to, so I would be living here not communicating with anyone.”
Tymur, Svitlo Student
“Everyone should have motivation in their lives, and for me it is Svitlo School. This school makes my life brighter.”
Ulyana, Svitlo Student
We empower our students to choose their own lessons, from up to 50 per week across a huge variety of subjects, all taught in English.
Our teachers are volunteers from all over the world and this equips our students with valuable international perspectives. Volunteers bring a wealth of experience from different industries, backgrounds and cultures and the vast majority are native English speakers.
Our approach equips children with knowledge and skills that extend beyond what is typically covered in Ukrainian schools, preparing them for global success.
Svitlo is a nurturing and open-minded environment where children are actively encouraged to participate, think critically, question, give their opinions and learn from each other.
40+
free summer school placements in the UK and USA for our best students
20+
full scholarships for students to attend Harrow, Pearson and Highgrove online schools
112
free tuition hours for Ukrainian refugee children studying GCSEs in the UK
data from Sep 2022 to Jul 2024
We are building strong educational connections in Britain and the United States so our students in Ukraine can access first-class academic and social learning opportunities for free. We are equipping our students with the knowledge and skills to rebuild Ukraine as social, political and business leaders of the future.
With our educational partners, we offer scholarships at Harrow, Highgrove and Pearson online schools. We also provide fully-funded short term summer school placements in the UK and USA, instilling the value of global citizenship and inspiring our students for a better future.
For our young refugees in England and Wales, we provide free tuition for GCSEs.
Every student joining Svitlo has the chance to graduate with GCSEs, A levels or an American high school diploma and enjoy the ‘trip of a lifetime’ as reward for strong participation and high achievement.
Most of our students have been forced to leave their schoolfriends, family members and communities. More than 80% of the 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees globally are women and children, and there are 3.5 million internally displaced people within Ukraine (UNHCR and IOM UN Migration data, Apr 2024).
We cannot give them back what they have lost. However, we have succeeded in cultivating a unique, welcoming environment where our students can meet new friends, find role models and experience a sense of belonging.
Many of our students tell us that Svitlo has become like a second family - and that the school reminds them of Hogwarts (which we love!).
Students earn points for their House, encouraging participation, collaboration and friendly competition!
Older students can gain leadership skills as prefects, and our buddy system helps new students to settle and make friends
Students are elected into the Council, where they work with the Svitlo team and volunteers and even teach themselves
An active space where students share their perspective and insights on academic and social life of the school
Our team of writers and designers collaborate on a monthly magazine-style publication
Students run the Svitlo Instagram and TikTok accounts, creating graphics, text and video
Volunteer your time and expertise by
teaching our students or lending
your professional skills to help us grow
Work with us to develop an impactful and
rewarding partnership with your team,
department or organisation
"Hello! My name is Oleksandr and I like learning new things about nature, people and their cultures. My home town, Melitopol, was known as the cherry capital of Ukraine.
I remember the morning of February 24th 2022. After hearing about the war, I tried to wake up, but it was not a dream. I didn’t leave my house because of all those soldiers. Eventually in summer I escaped to the free land.
The feeling of desperation in the town where I knew no friends gradually faded away after I discovered Svitlo School. The teachers are really great and love their work. Due to Svitlo School I am also studying in an American Pearson Academy Online. Svitlo has literally brought light and hope into my life.”
