Siblings Ahmad*, 12, and Dina* 6 were asleep when the earthquake hit their home in the Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria. Their parents tried to protect them from the falling ceiling - Amani*, 28 used her body to shield her son and was injured. Their father Lutfi*, 33, broke his back. The family were trapped in the rubble for around 4 hours until neighbours were able to hear their cries for help. Their home was completely destroyed and they didn’t escape with any belongings. The family say that they are struggling in the aftermath, with no financial security and Dina* suffering from nightmares about her experiences. We first met the family while Lutfi* was in hospital. Ahmad* and Dina* were staying with their mother in a tent supplied by Save the Children partner organisation Shafaq. They were also given emergency supplies like blankets, food and clothes. A few days later Save the Children did a follow up and met Lutfi* who had been discharged but is on bed rest while he recovers. He was provided with medicine by Save the Children partner organisation Shafaq. Khalil Ashawi/Save the Children

Kateryna*, (6) lives in the Kharkiv region with her mom and dad. She is going to the first grade this year. This will be her first year at the elementary school where everything will be new for her. In the Kharkiv region, East Ukraine about 200 schools were completely destroyed and 210 schools were also damaged because off missile strikes. In those schools where bomb shelters are not equipped, lessons will continue to be conducted online, as children will have nowhere to hide during air alarms. Since the beginning of the war, due to frequent shelling, Kateryna* and her mother Ilona* left their home in the Kharkiv region. After the de-occupation of village, Kateryna's* dad took them home. When Kateryna* was supposed to enter kindergarten, coronavirus pandemic began, and kindergartens switched to online mode. Because of this, Kateryna* was forced to spend a lot of time at her mother's work, since there was no one to leave the child with. Before entering elementary school, the girl attended offline pre-school classes once a week, but this was not enough for socialization and adaptation to the school schedule. Her parents resigned themselves to the idea that Kateryna* would have to spend many time at home studying online, so they have equipped a comfortable workplace near the window. Also, due to power outages, which are not always planned, Kateryna’s* mother cannot plan her school day, which affects the quality of the girl’s education. Here's what Kateryna's* mother notes about power outages: “Now [the electricity and the internet] are disabled once a week. All the rest of the time the electricity and the internet are there. They are turned off one time or two times per week. If the electricity is turned off, everything disappears. The [mobile] connection, the [home] internet. […]”

Save the Children is opening Digital Learning Centers across Ukraine to fill the gap in children's education. The centers help children learn and socialize with peers, as many schools are now closed due to frequent shelling and a lack of bomb shelters. This Digital Learning Centre in the Dnipro region offers a variety of classes for children: Ukrainian, English, Math, IT, Communication Skills, 3D modeling, Critical Thinking, and many others. These centers are not just a place for children to study, they are a lifeline for their education. For instance, if a child doesn't have a personal laptop or tablet but has an online learning format at school, they can still continue their education by attending classes at the Digital Learning Centre. This ensures that children are included in their studies. Also, there are tablets with many educational games that children can use. "Games on these tablets differ from those on our personal phones. As those ones [that we have on our personal phones] don't improve our knowledge. But these ones that we have here – they are different! They are educational," says Vasylisa*, 9 . Under Save the Children's Humanitarian Fund, there are 16 Digital Learning Centers in the East of Ukraine. Over 1,550 children attend these centers. Anastasiia Zahoskina / Save the Children