Svitlo Winter Appeal 2026 · For business
Resilience is not a superpower
Fuel a Ukrainian child’s resilience this winter.Provide light, power, warmth and connection.
How your organisation can get involved
Svitlo School is a registered charity which has supported more than 4,000 Ukrainian children since 2022. Charity number 1201542.
Svitlo School is a registered charity which has supported more than 4,000 Ukrainian children since 2022. Charity number 1201542.
Ukrainian children have shown the world incredible resilience
But resilience is not a superpower Ukrainian children are born with. It’s a necessity.
This year, children across Ukraine will endure their fifth consecutive winter of prolonged blackouts, air raids and disrupted education. In freezing temperatures. For months.
Our Ukrainian pupils are remarkably resilient. It’s admirable, humbling and inspiring. But resilience has its limits – it can’t provide light, power, warmth or connection.
By sponsoring or fundraising for our Winter Appeal, your organisation can help Ukrainian children learn, keep warm, stay connected and feel safer this winter.
“In my city, due to shelling, electricity is only provided for 3–4 hours a day. It is very important for me to be able to write and call my dad, who is currently at the front. When I am in touch with him, I feel calmer and warmer in my soul.”
Olexy, Svitlo pupil
Olexy received a power bank from Svitlo School as part of our Winter Appeal 2025.
We’re fundraising for Winter Essentials Kits
A Winter Essentials Kit is a set of practical, everyday items that help a child keep learning, stay warm and stay in touch through months of blackouts.
How does it work?
- Pupils and their families request only the products they need
- We source products in Ukraine and deliver in batches, as soon as sufficient funds are available
- Children receive the products they requested, starting with what they told us matters most
Here’s what your organisation’s contribution could provide for our pupils in Ukraine this winter.
Light
Help 10 children read, study and feel safer during blackouts.
The products our pupils can request are:
- Desk lamp or full room light
- Clip-on reading light for books, or a head torch
- Fairy lights for comfort and glow
- All rechargeable
Power
Give 10 children the power to attend online lessons and limit energy anxiety.
Our most requested power product is:
- Heavy-duty power bank (65W, 30,000mAh) that can fully charge a laptop and other devices at the same time
Warmth
Provide 10 children with some of the comfort they need to study, relax and sleep.
The products our pupils can request are:
- Thermal products: flask for tea or soup, pyjamas and socks
- Oversized hoodie with warm lining and blankets
Connection
Help 10 children stay connected to lessons, classmates and family.
The products our pupils can request are:
- 4G SIM router with 3 months’ unlimited data
- Mobile SIM with 3 months’ unlimited data
- Mini UPS to charge a 4G or fibre-optic router
How your organisation can get involved
From our Gift of Light Christmas campaign, 2025
Option 1
Sponsor a full batch of products
- We provide a range of sponsorship amounts, based on cost and number of children
- You decide as an organisation what to give
- We arrange a full batch delivery within days of receiving funds
Minimum contribution £1,000, to keep administrative costs low and access bulk-buying discounts.
From our Gift of Light Christmas campaign, 2025
Option 2
Donate a set amount
Give the amount that suits your organisation, and we’ll combine it with other donations to fund the next batch of deliveries.
- Any amount, with no minimum
- 100% of your donation funds products and delivery in Ukraine
- Donate securely online through JustGiving
Option 3
Fundraise with employees
Bring your team together for Ukrainian children this winter.
We can support a range of employee engagement initiatives in your organisation. Here are a few ideas to get you started, but you’re welcome to choose your own.
Evening head-torch run
Run, jog or walk together after dark, lit only by head torches.
30,000 steps challenge
One step for every mAh in the 30,000mAh power bank our pupils ask for most.
Hoodie Day
Everyone wears a hoodie to work and donates to take part.
Flask week
Bring soup or tea in a flask, and donate what you’d spend on lunch and coffee.
Pyjama video call day
Join every video call in your pyjamas for a day, and donate to take part.
Staff postcards
Your team writes postcards, and we add them to pupils’ deliveries.
We’ll support you with:
- Marketing materials for your team
- A JustGiving page for your fundraising
- Anything else you need to make it a success
What you can expect from us
Recognition
We’ll thank your organisation on our website and social media.
Delivery update
We’ll let you know once the products have been delivered.
Full report
You’ll receive a full Winter Appeal report at the end of February.
Last winter we delivered to 144 students
“Today, after another bombardment, the light disappeared again, and at this moment, a package from Svitlo School arrived in the mail.”
Victoria
“A power bank in our conditions, just like a string of lights from it – these are very useful, necessary things. We are very, very grateful!!!”
Timur’s family
“Thank you so much for the gifts! It’s very nice.”
Nikita
“We were absolutely overwhelmed by the gifts from our beloved Svitlo School. It meant so much to feel that we matter to someone beyond our parents. Thank you, Svitlo, a million times.”
Vova & Nika
“I can’t find the words to express my gratitude to Svitlo School and Svitlo Santa. You are not only a warm, welcoming school, but a team that truly cares about its students.”
Arina
“Thank you for your gifts! This is real support and care in such a difficult time for Ukrainians!”
Eva
Our extraordinary pupils have utterly ordinary needs
Last winter we know that:
This year our pupils told us:
Sources: Ukraine Education Cluster, Save the Children and UNICEF, “Protecting Children and Learning Amid Attacks on Energy in Ukraine”, February 2026; UN OCHA, Ukraine Humanitarian Situation Snapshot, January–February 2026; Copernicus Climate Change Service; Svitlo School survey, 129 responses, winter 2025; Svitlo School survey, 205 responses, October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
We are a UK registered charity and we run a free, extracurricular online school in English for Ukrainian children affected by the war. Our pupils are 10–18 years old and we have supported more than 4,000 children since 2022.
Svitlo pupils can choose from more than 50 lessons each week, taught in English by native English speakers who are volunteers from all over the world. We also provide scholarships, fully-funded summer camps in the UK and Europe, and books and equipment to Ukrainian children and school bomb shelters.
Our pupils are Ukrainian children aged 10–18. The vast majority – 80% – are still living in Ukraine, with the rest living as refugees in host nations including Turkey, Germany and Poland.
Many of our students in Ukraine have been displaced from the communities where they grew up to safer parts of the country. Some of our students are in frontline regions.
Not directly. Every donation goes into one Winter Appeal fund and is spent on what families request, in priority order. That’s how we make sure each child gets what they actually need. The amounts on this page show what your support could provide.
Organisations can give online through our JustGiving page, or we can arrange a bank transfer and send you an invoice. Contact Maya, our Partnerships Manager, at connect@svitloschool.com and she’ll set up whichever works best for you.
100% of Winter Appeal donations fund products and delivery.
All products are sourced within Ukraine. We have sourced a number of Ukrainian businesses with good availability and excellent reviews. This not only supports local economies in Ukraine but ensures speedy, cost-effective delivery and a limited carbon footprint.
Our Ukraine-based staff purchase and arrange tracked delivery of each kit. All receipts and records are securely stored for transparency.
We will start sending kits out in batches as soon as possible, and continue until February or for as long as funds last. This helps ensure children receive their kits during the winter months, when blackouts are felt most severely.
Yes. Each product meets regulatory standards and has been chosen for safety and quality. The power bank can recharge a laptop and other devices at the same time, and the lamps, reading lights and fairy lights are low-voltage.
Yes. If your company runs a matched giving scheme, it can double what your team raises. Check with your HR or CSR team.
As an online charity and school, we do not have storage capacity to hold products, and we would not share address details for our students or staff, so sending products directly is not possible. Our staff in Ukraine purchase products from Ukrainian businesses and arrange delivery directly to students and their families.
