The rebuilding of a kindergarten, which was completely destroyed by Russian forces during the occupation, has begun in the village of Bohdanivka, Brovary district, Kyiv region. The initiative was spearheaded by Coca-Cola System, which invested $3 million in the rebuilding. The construction process will be carried out by the Ukrainian Red Cross, a partner of the company in implementing humanitarian aid projects for over 10 years.

“Coca-Cola has decided to build and donate a new kindergarten to the community of Bohdanivka village as a sign of support and respect for the Ukrainian people and the community where the Ukrainian Coca-Cola plant has been operating for 25 years. We stand firmly alongside our people, communities and customers, and this project serves as yet another testament to our unwavering commitment,” commented Adnan Topic, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC in Ukraine, Armenia, and Moldova, on the project's launch.

“The Ukrainian Red Cross, being the largest humanitarian organization in the country, has significant experience not only in implementing large-scale humanitarian initiatives but also in rebuilding social infrastructure. With a decade-long successful partnership with the Coca-Cola System, we will make every effort to ensure that the children of the community have a new comfortable kindergarten as soon as possible,” stated Maksym Dotsenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross.

HOW THE KINDERGARTEN BECAME AN AMMUNITION STORAGE

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the village of Bohdanivka, like 17 other settlements of the Velykodymer united territorial community in Kyiv region, fell under Russian occupation. The Russian forces set up their headquarters in the local school, and a warehouse for ammunition was arranged in the kindergarten.

On March 29, 2022, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the communities, Russian troops began to retreat and, leaving their positions, looted houses in the village and set fire to the local school and kindergarten. Since the Russians had arranged an ammunition warehouse in the kindergarten, the arson caused a powerful explosion and detonation of over 1000 shells. More than 70 houses were left without windows, many roofs were blown off, and only 2 walls remained from the kindergarten.

WHAT THE FUTURE KINDERGARTEN WILL BE LIKE

The future kindergarten, which is now under construction, will be able to accommodate 80 children. It will have assembly halls, playrooms, an elevator, and will be equipped with shelters built according to all modern requirements. For the safety of the construction process, it will be supervised by the State Emergency Service, as there may still be parts of unexploded ordnance in the ground.

The kindergarten is planned to start operating in the second half of 2025, and meanwhile, children from the village are being taken to a neighboring settlement, 12 km from Bohdanivka.

“We are grateful for Coca-Cola's assistance to our united territorial community, not only humanitarian but also moral. The community understands that it is not alone with its problems, and this is very valuable, especially in such difficult times. The new modern kindergarten will be one of the best in the Kyiv region, and we want to believe that this will somewhat compensate for all the terrible things that our children had to experience,” said Oleksandr Kutsenko, deputy head of the village council of the Velykodymer community.

HOW THE COCA-COLA SYSTEM SUPPORTS UKRAINE

Overall, starting from February 24, 2022, the Coca-Cola System together with the Coca-Cola Foundation have allocated over $35 million in charitable aid to Ukrainians.

In addition to the kindergarten rebuilding project, according to Olena Sereda, General Director of Coca-Cola Ukraine, these funds have been used to purchase and deliver to communities 45 mobile boilers, 70 thousand food kits, 5 thousand bedding sets with warm blankets for internally displaced persons, over fifty powerful generators for educational, medical, and humanitarian institutions, and much more.

Apart from contributing to the rebuilding and providing humanitarian aid, Coca-Cola is dedicated to shares positive emotions with Ukrainians. Specifically, at the end of 2023, the plant in the Kyiv region produced a special charity batch of 1,000,000 bottles of Coca-Cola. These were gifted to the most vulnerable Ukrainians facing particularly challenging circumstances across the country, aiming to bring a moment of joy during the winter holiday season.

While Coca-Cola has successfully implemented numerous humanitarian projects, the company is not going to stop. It continues to develop and implement new charitable initiatives to extend support to communities throughout the country.

   

ARTICLE WAS PREPARED WITH SUPPORT OF THE COCA-COLA SYSTEM