We asked ourselves: Can children feel safe in a country at war?

To answer this question, we surveyed 70 schools across the Lviv community.

The results were alarming:

• 7% of children said they never feel safe at school

• 20% said teachers shout at them

• 16% said there are “favorite students”

• 40% reported witnessing or experiencing bullying.

We began looking for a systemic solution.

How did the idea of the project emerge?

We chose the name because it is simple and straightforward, encouraging speaking. Our project explains what children can and should talk about to feel safe. In our culture, children are often taught not to complain — we want to change that.

We identified key safety indicators that concern children, and we want children to learn to talk about them with trusted adults so that adults can help address and resolve these issues.

Why “HOVORY”?

We hope that future surveys will show significant improvement. These changes do not require large budgets — relationships cost nothing, only humanity. I dream that children will not be afraid to speak to adults, and that adults will truly listen. That is the foundation of absolute safety.

The full interview is available in video format.

How does the project work?

We started with education because children spend most of their day at school. We want schools to offer not only knowledge, but also relationships with trusted adults.

The project includes two components. Offline: special lessons in schools that teach children about boundaries, unsafe behavior, and when to seek help. Separate programs were created for primary, middle, and high school levels. For younger children, we even made a superhero to help explain these topics.

The online component: for primary, middle, and high schools, we have created interactive courses that get children involved. In fact, these online courses are already available to students in their online diaries. They are short—about 10 minutes—and tell students what they should not remain silent about and why they need to speak. There will also be a special button there. And in fact, this is where the project's significant innovation lies. It means that each child will be able to write their message in the online diary without being afraid of being judged when they are seen talking to a teacher or another student. Accordingly, this message from the child will be delivered to the school's safety officer and the principal.

In the process of addressing this issue and this message, the person responsible for safety at the school will communicate with the child about what happened, what measures the school is taking, and the child will be able to say whether they are okay with it or not. And this is interesting because data from all schools will be sent to the Department of Education Development. And the Department will be able to see which messages from children are most frequent, which problems concern them most, and, accordingly, respond to the challenges that will exist in the community's education system in a broader context. Next, we want to expand this project to other communities. In fact, the pilot community will be the Lviv community. And then we have ambitious plans so that all children in Ukraine feel safe in any community.

What future do you hope for the project?