“Backpack for a First-Grader”: BGV Charity Fund and partners unveil a new project

1,200 school supply-filled backpacks will be donated to socially vulnerable children who are displaced and starting first grade in schools across nine regions of Ukraine. 

The BGV Charity Fund initiates the project in collaboration with the German nonprofit organization #WeAreAllUkrainians. Sponsors include Hanseatic Help, Rozetka, Lamy, SAP, Edding, and abcPremium.

The project is supported by the Ukrainian Ombudsman's Office. 

Nova Poshta, a logistics partner, will deliver the backpacks to their nearest branch for the recipients.

Each backpack contains 35 essential items a child needs for school, including drawing supplies, pens, pencils, notebooks, lunch boxes, pencil cases, planners, modeling clay, counting and reading materials, and more. You can learn more about the contents of the backpack and the project conditions at this link: https://bgvfund.org/backpack-for-a-first-grader/ 

Children eligible for this assistance include those who are displaced, starting first grade, and belong to vulnerable social groups such as:

• Children with disabilities
• Children from large families
• Children from low-income families
• Orphans
• Children without parental care

The project is being implemented in the following regions: Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia.

To receive a backpack, one must submit the following documents:

• Proof of the child's displaced status
• Proof of enrollment in the first grade in one of the nine regions mentioned
• Proof that the child belongs to one of the vulnerable social groups listed above

If a child meets all the criteria and has the necessary documents, their parents/guardians must call one of the regional Ombudsman's Offices to get a personal registration link and upload the required documents to the BGV Charity Fund's website. 

Ombudsman Office contacts for the "Backpack for a First-Grader" project registration:

• Odesa region: +380 (48) 722 07 22, +380 (48) 722 05 22
• Mykolaiv region: +380 (63) 405 76 97
• Poltava region: +380 (50) 418 33 73, +380 (68) 994 45 75
• Zhytomyr region: +380 (50) 967 95 41
• Vinnytsia region: +380 (98) 037 97 56
• Rivne region: +380 (68) 992 58 58
• Khmelnytskyi region: +380 (68) 433 95 91, +380 (38) 270 45 00
• Kirovohrad region: +380 (66) 929 15 97
• Cherkasy region: +380 (98) 631 22 51

Call hours:

Monday–Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday: Closed

The Ombudsman's Office staff will also work with pre-compiled lists of children who meet all the project's conditions.