Ukraine: Starting with the youngest — how DRC raises awareness of mine risks

Safe distance from unexploded ordnance

Through the project, DRC has reached more than 18,000 people in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts — roughly half of them children and adolescents. Local authorities provide classrooms and shelter space, while families, initially cautious, often express relief.

“Everyone knows that mines are dangerous,” Sergiy says. “What they don’t know is how far to keep away, or exactly what to do if they see one. That is the knowledge we bring.”

The work is constantly evolving. Trainers gather feedback, refine their methods, and adapt lessons to local contexts.

In some communities, for instance, door-to-door visits bring the message to those too isolated or too anxious to join group sessions.

Children, with their disarming clarity, often prove to be the most perceptive learners. “They notice things adults miss,” Sergiy observes. “They interpret risks in their own way and, sometimes, they show us how to teach better.”

Ukraine’s Ministry of Education has now made mine safety part of the national curriculum. DRC is also equipping teachers with tailored training and ready-to-use materials, ensuring that risk education will continue even after humanitarian workers have moved on.

How do you teach children about mine safety and make it last?

“We often start information sessions with physical activities. This helps us get to know each other and have a chat. Children often say they’ve already had similar lessons on mine safety. I build on that and ask them to help me,” explains Yulia, an EORE Assistant, during one such session.

Trained as a teacher, Yulia finds working with children comes naturally. She admits she is always looking for new ways to engage participants.

“There are different kinds of children. Some, like today, were very active, and it was easy to work with them. But with others, you need to spend more time to spark their interest.”

She stresses that when facilitators use games or comics, the children are more open to engaging.

“For them, it’s something new, something they haven’t experienced before. In class, they approach these issues seriously, of course. Usually, teachers don’t play games with them,” says Yulia.

For Sergiy, this work is not a box-ticking exercise. “Our goal is not simply to inform,” he says, “but to change behaviour. And that takes time, patience, and persistence.”

In classrooms where games soften the harshness of danger, children are learning lessons their parents never had to. Considering the extent of mine contamination in Ukraine, the risks they are being taught to avoid will remain for many years to come.