BGV Fund completes renovation of Bucha Children’s School of Arts

The BGV Charity Fund, supported by German benefactors — the non-profit organization #WeAreAllUkrainians and Lufthansa Group's help alliance fund — completed all the planned renovation and supply of the Levko Revutskyi Bucha Children's School of Arts. Reconstruction with the planned funding of 10 million hryvnias began in September last year and was completed by September 2023.

As part of this charity initiative, the fund provided the school with 20 easels and 20 tablets for art classes, and a TV for lessons. BGV also purchased a modern professional acoustic system, including a mixing console, a studio microphone, and a wireless vocal system for the concert hall. Musical instruments — alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, tenor trombone, clarinet, flute, baritone, tuba, and alto horn — were donated to the school's orchestra class and brass band. The fund equipped the school with new furniture worth about 1 million hryvnias: chairs, tables, office chairs for teachers, benches with hangers, cabinets for papers and clothes.

The project also financed vocal, choreography, and musical instrument master classes, where professors of the Pavlo Chubynskyi Academy of Arts, who usually work with university students, shared their experiences and approaches. The school students and teachers learned a lot, expanded their knowledge, and acquired new practical skills. Within the project's final stage, the school hosted advanced "Inclusive education theory and practice" training courses for teachers, where educators were explained how to properly interact with children with special educational needs, how to notice their professional burnout in time, and what to do in such cases. We believe this topic is extremely important for teachers, especially during the war.

As of September 1, 2023, 539 students have attended the art school and received training in seven art fields: piano, strings, folk theory, fine arts, vocals, and choreography. Some students study remotely from different countries where they moved during the war, for example, the USA, England, Germany, Austria, and Poland.

Teachers and students of the art school prepared a concert — a real musical extravaganza to mark the completion of the third stage of the school's renovation and express their gratitude to donors. Among the many guests was the chair of the BGV Charity Fund, Polina Aldoshyna.

"It was a year of exceptionally fruitful cooperation for us. We have become more than partners with the school and Bucha City Council. We became friends!" said the director of the fund. "On the one hand, we are, of course, happy that today we're celebrating the completion of the renovation of the school, which is fully ready and equipped for the children's education, and on the other hand, we're a little sad that our friendly cooperation and communication have come to an end. Thank you for this real celebration of music — a wonderful concert organized by students and teachers. I hope that many talented children will enjoy studying here in a modernly equipped space."

As part of the earlier project stages, the BGV Charity Fund and German partners had the school fully renovated, restoring the roof, entrance, water supply and drainage, and replacing all windows and doors. We also purchased a modern traffic navigation system and a high-power generator for an uninterrupted electricity supply. All school classrooms are now fully accessible for people with limited mobility. The facade of the building has been renovated as well.