Help Ukrainian Children Avoid Landmines on School

Project Report – Help Ukrainian Children Avoid Landmines on School Routes

March 2026

In Ukraine today, the path to school can be deadly.

Ukraine is now the most heavily mine-contaminated country in the world. Roughly a quarter of its territory — 139,000 square kilometres — is littered with landmines, unexploded shells, and other remnants of war. These weapons do not disappear when the fighting moves on. They wait, buried in fields, playgrounds, riverbanks, and the roads that children walk every single day. One in eight civilians killed or injured by explosive ordnance in Ukraine is a child. And with every spring thaw, melting snow exposes new devices — just as children spend more time outdoors.

Dmytro is 12 years old and lives in a village near Kharkiv. Last autumn, on his way home from school, he spotted something half-buried in the grass at the edge of the road — metallic, unfamiliar, partially hidden under leaves. He remembered what he had learned in one of our mine awareness sessions: stop, don't touch, back away slowly, tell an adult. He did exactly that. Within the hour, a demining specialist trained through COOPERA's programme had arrived, confirmed it was an unexploded mortar shell, and safely neutralised it. Dmytro is alive. His younger sister, who walks the same road every morning, is alive. "He saved us all," his mother said. "He knew what to do."

This is what mine risk education looks like in practice — and why it matters. Ukraine faces a demining effort that will take decades and cost an estimated $29.8 billion. Full clearance is a long-term goal. But teaching children to recognise danger, stop, and report it can save lives today. Studies show that although 97% of Ukrainian adolescents know landmine safety rules, risky behaviours — especially among teenage boys — remain widespread. Awareness without reinforcement is not enough. Our project works to close that gap, bringing trained specialists directly into schools and communities in the most affected regions.

Because no child should have to think twice about the road home. Your support makes it possible to reach the children and families who live every day in the shadow of this threat — and to give them the knowledge that could save their lives.

Links:

• https://www.instagram.com/p/DIgioYwo57X/