2 Superheroes Schools opened in Dnipro making 3 new educational spaces!

On November 20^th, the first Superheroes School in the Dnipro region opened in the oncology department of the regional children’s hospital. Less than a month later, on December 9^th, the second school was opened in a phthisiology hospital.

The first lessons were attended by the head of the regional state administration Oleksandr Bondarenko. “Superheroes Schools are already operational in a few hospitals in Kyiv, Kherson, and Zhytomyr regions. Now there are also two of them in the Dnipro region. Together with the non-governmental organization “Small Heart with Art” we created an environment for young patients that are undergoing long and complex treatment in medical institutions that will allow them to study in modern and cozy classrooms”, said the head of the regional state administration Oleksandr Bondarenko.

“The Superheroes School is a very important factor for quick recovery and helps students feel confident and avoid bullying when they return to their regular schools. It is very important that they feel comfortable and keep living their lives. Sometimes being in a hospital can feel like your life is on pause, but it does not mean that it will be like this forever”, said Yevheniia Smirnova.

According to the general director of the regional children’s hospital of Dnipro Oleksii Vlasov, young patients can spend from 4 to 6 months in the oncology and oncohematology departments. On average, around 50 school-age children undergo long-term treatment in the hospital during the year.

At the Dnipro regional phthisiology hospital, the duration of treatment for children can be up to 9 and sometimes 12 months. We have created 2 classes: one for preschoolers and primary school students, and one for secondary and high school students. The Superheroes School at the phthisiology hospital allows involving 30 children in the educational process while using innovative technologies.

Three study rooms in the two hospitals in the Dnipro region were repaired and equipped with everything necessary: individual desks, a whiteboard, an interactive multimedia board, and tablets for the students. Children are taught by teachers from neighboring schools. The plan is to teach 3-4 subjects per day for every class of children that have to spend a long time getting treatment for serious illnesses in the hospital.

“We really hope that next year there will be more opportunities and people who are willing to support us. We must make continuous efforts. The Superhero School is about children and hope in our hearts. These children really need a connection to the real world and the doctors and teachers help create this link between the children and the real world, to which they will definitely have to return later on. I really hope that state organizations in other cities will notice us and open new Superheroes Schools soon. For me, every new school like that is a victory and a celebration that I always remember and mark on my calendar”, said Nataliia Moseychuk, the manager of the Superheroes School and the social education project The Right to Education.

At the beginning of 2021, the third Superheroes School in the Dnipro region is to be opened in the Kryvyi Rih tuberculosis dispensary.