Olena Zelenska, together with the Foundation’s team and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Portugal in Ukraine, Pedro Forbes Lemos, visited the state institution School of Superheroes in Cherkasy. This is the first educational space of this kind in the city and region. The center is already fully operational.

During the visit, the First Lady joined children in several activities: she took part in a creative workshop, attended a lesson on Ukraine’s cultural heritage, and participated in a resilience-building session held in the mental health room.

Olena Zelenska also visited hospital wards where teachers conduct bedside lessons for children unable to attend classes due to health conditions. In addition, she spoke with the educational center’s team of teachers and psychologists regarding daily activities at the center, such as helping children adapt to school, coordinating lessons with treatment, and organizing classes.

“Children’s right to education is absolute. It is the duty of the state and of us, adults, to make sure it is guaranteed every day — at school, in hospitals, or online. When a child is undergoing treatment, learning should not stop; it must adapt to the child and the circumstances. The School of Superheroes makes this possible: equipped classrooms in hospitals, a teacher and a psychologist by the child’s side, and communication with peers. The Foundation is expanding the School of Superheroes network so that such spaces exist in every children’s hospital in our country — so that no child falls behind during treatment or has to spend months catching up. This must become a national standard, and we are working steadily toward it together with international partners,” noted Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine and founder of the Foundation.

The Cherkasy School of Superheroes center provides education for children in two medical institutions: the Regional Children’s Hospital and the Oncology Center. The space includes seven learning zones – for preschoolers, primary school pupils, and students in grades 5–11, as well as mental health rooms in both hospitals. A team of 14 teachers works in the center. In the 2025 academic year, while renovations were ongoing, 1,433 lessons were delivered to 836 children in hospital wards.

Supporting and expanding the School of Superheroes is part of the Foundation’s systemic work to ensure children’s access to education and development. The schools provide continuous learning for children undergoing hospital treatment or rehabilitation. Today, the spaces also welcome children affected by the full-scale war: children with mine and explosive injuries, severe wounds, as well as internally displaced children.

The School of Superheroes became a state institution in 2021 and has operated under the patronage of the First Lady since then. The Olena Zelenska Foundation joined the expansion and funding of educational centers in 2024.

“As of today, 17 School of Superheroes centers are operating in children’s hospitals across different regions of Ukraine. Cherkasy is the 18th center, and we are very glad that children here now have a space for learning and development. We are grateful to our partners who support us in implementing such important projects. We are grateful to the Camões Institute of Portugal for their trust and contribution to establishing the Cherkasy center. Our team continues expanding the network so that learning during treatment becomes the norm, not the exception, in Ukraine,” commented Nina Horbachova, Director of the Olena Zelenska Foundation.

Over the last academic year, more than 15,000 children studied at School of Superheroes centers. Last year, six new spaces were opened with the support of the Foundation. This year, the network continues to grow: the Cherkasy center is already operating, with two more in Chernihiv and Lutsk to open with the new school year. Three more schools are scheduled to open by the end of the year.

“We are starting the academic year with the opening of a new educational center in Cherkasy. This means that even more children will hear the first bell. Despite being ill, the superheroes who had long awaited a return to school will now have the chance to sit at their desks. Knowledge heals, inspires, and opens the world. We are glad, in partnership with the Olena Zelenska Foundation, to bring knowledge to children even there, in hospitals, where it may seem impossible,” noted Nataliia Zhilinska, Director of the School of Superheroes state institution.

The project was made possible thanks to the financial support of our international partner, the Portuguese Camões Institute.

“Believing that education is truly lifesaving, Portugal is pleased to support the Olena Zelenska Foundation’s ‘Superhero Schools’ initiative and the construction of two educational centres in hospitals in Chernihiv and Cherkasy. Particularly in times of crisis, investing in safe learning spaces has a lasting impact on the health, well-being and development of children and young people, as well as their communities, now and in the future,“ emphasized Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal.

Background

The Olena Zelenska Foundation is a Ukrainian charitable organization established by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, in 2022.

The Foundation implements projects for children, adolescents, and youth in three main areas: supporting family-based care, ensuring access to education and development, and providing psychosocial support for adolescents and young people. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 70 partners from over 30 countries have joined the Foundation’s projects.