Planting the Seeds of Peace
Implemented by Geopolitical Alliance of Women
Planting the Seeds of Peace was a 12-month programme designed to develop and implement a practical training course for Ukrainian refugee children centred around the ecological growing of plans and vegetables.
The project was implemented in Bucharest, Romania at a school hosting 200 Ukrainian children.
The project was created to help 200 children studying in the Ukrainian educational space of the Uruguay Grammar School in Bucharest, Romania, to recover from the stress caused by the war in Ukraine through a practical and conscious approach to agriculture and horticulture. The children learned about growing plants, soil restoration and climate change. The practice of gardening has been proven to be a very therapeutic tool for those who have suffered trauma, it has been found to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and to improve psychological wellbeing.
Over 12 months the children developed knowledge on germinating and sowing seeds, caring for seedlings and transplanting these outside in dedicated growing areas around the school site. The predominant outcome of the project is that the children developed an interest in the environment around them, keeping the natural environment clear of litter, and interest in healthy diets and eating food that they had grown.
Since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Romania has hosted over 140,000 refugees from Ukraine. As many of these are children, providing opportunities for them to continue their education is vital. Many are placed in Romanian schools which causes initial challenges due to not speaking the language. Many Ukrainian parents were worried that language barriers would cause young children to fall behind in their education. In 2022, Anna Sushko who previously ran a kindergarten school in Kyiv, set up the Education Hub 'Uruguay' as a solution to this challenge.
Children that have had to flee due to conflict have already lost so much. They lose their homes and their loved ones, a sense of safety and routine. Without education the impact and trauma of displacement will affect their futures. For children affected by conflict, school is more than just a place to learn. It can provide a sense of safety, community, and relief from the devastating effects of war.
The project was implemented by Geopolitical Alliance of Women, a Ukraine based women’s organisation passionate about promoting women’s inclusion in society and the Association of Ukrainian Romania Teachers who assisted in the implementation of the training programme.
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