Full classrooms, piano music blaring through the hall, teenagers playing sports in the gym. And yet… behind the cheerful faces of the children there is a lot of sadness. They had to leave everything behind in Ukraine when Russian soldiers invaded their country. “They draw the most bizarre things: a tank driving over a corpse, a cemetery.”
“Unfortunately, they experience these kinds of atrocities up close”, says coordinator Robbert Pieschel of the ‘Ukrainian School’ in Eindhoven. Hundreds of children between the ages of 4 and 18 are taught here. The first week is over and it is clear that it is not possible here. is a ‘normal’ school.
Much care is taken in counseling and trauma processing. A child psychologist from Ukraine helps with the conversations and has the children make drawings. “That’s how they process traumas,” says Pieschel. The primary and secondary school is much more than just a school.
Child psychologist and therapist Anna Pokrovska supervises the children. She also fled and had to leave her husband behind. Just like many children who were forced to say goodbye to their father, because he continues to fight in the war.
“They all need emotional support and help,” she says. “The children have lost an important part of their lives, their friends, school life, family. Some no longer have a home. Many of them were in air-raid shelters for weeks without food.”
If it becomes too much for the children during the lesson, they can go to another room for a while. They are then taken care of there. The teachers can also have a hard time, especially if there is another report in the news about the war. “Sometimes they walk out of the room out of the blue,” says Pieschel, who normally works at the Stedelijk College in Eindhoven.
“They see that something has happened and then they want to check if it is in their region. Do I have family there? They then start video calling. Sometimes such a teacher bursts into tears because he cannot get in touch. That’s the reality. At the end of the day we have a conclusion and there is room to talk to each other. Then the emotion comes out. We have colleagues who are trained to provide support.”
14-year-old Line Hromova is happy that she has found her place here at the school in Eindhoven. “This is my second time in a war,” she says. “The first time I was six and I saw everything: bombs, rockets, people shooting each other.”
This time, too, she received more than she wanted: “When I left, I saw a lot of tanks and missiles.” The school is now her safe haven. “I was lonely and I thought I wouldn’t find any friends. Here I can talk and play with others. I can share my secrets, I’m not lonely. I have friends.”
Education minister Dennis Wiersma will visit the school on Monday. In total, five hundred to six hundred Ukrainian children can attend the school. So far, 180 places have been occupied, and dozens of children will be added on Monday.
The children are taught in their own language by twenty Ukrainian teachers. They have fled themselves or they have a partner in the region. Dutch teachers are also there, among other things to learn the Dutch language.
Coordinator Robbert Pieschel is enthusiastic. “It’s great that the minister is coming. This is perhaps an example for the rest of the Netherlands.”
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