One of the key objectives of the "Local School Rehabilitation for Resilience" initiative, spearheaded by U-LEAD and funded by the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, is to assist municipalities in creating safe and conducive conditions for the return to in-person schooling. One of the components of the initiative was the purchase of school buses for municipalities whose schools were restored as part of the initiative (we are talking about schools restored thanks to cooperation with the "BRAVE" Foundation in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions).
The demand for school buses has always been high in Ukraine, particularly in rural areas and in municipalities with numerous settlements located at a considerable distance from each other. Since the onset of the full-scale war, the need has become even more critical:
- Many vehicles, including school buses, were destroyed or partially damaged during occupation or hostilities.
- Russian military troops confiscated school buses during the occupation.
- In many municipalities, schools were severely affected by shelling, making education there impossible, and offline learning resumed only in a few. Children were redirected to operating schools in other locations, which increased the need for transportation, especially from remote areas.
- Some buses were allocated for military use in the early months of the war. This practice was exceptional and is no longer ongoing.
Based on the available project funds and current market prices, U-LEAD managed to purchase 7 school buses for Ivankiv, Makariv, Borznya, Ichnia, Nova Basan, Balakliya, and Pechenihy municipalities. This effort will enable students to commute comfortably to their schools, which have also been rehabilitated through collaboration with the "BRAVE" Foundation as part of the initiative.