More than 7.6 million people have been provisionally displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, covering large swaths of the population. This affects children and young people in particular.
KfW, the German national promotional bank, and the EIB are therefore supporting the TUMO Center Ukraine with a donation totalling €125 000 (€50 000 from the EIB and €75 000 from KfW). The money will enable a large number of young Ukrainian refugees to continue participating in the TUMO education programme, which is now being delivered online after the TUMO Center in Kyiv had to close in March 2022.
“With all the challenges posed by the Ukraine war, we must not lose sight of education. TUMO Kyiv helps young people from Ukraine to stay on the ball. Regardless of their current location, they continue to learn in Ukrainian as usual,” emphasised Stefan Wintels, Chair of the KfW Board of Managing Directors.
EIB President Werner Hoyer was enthusiastic about the concept, adding: “The students are responsible for their own learning, supported by qualified trainers. It is not only about technology, but also about responsibility. The courses in Ukrainian make it easier for young people to prepare for their choice of work and career despite the burdens of war and being refugees.”
TUMO was launched in 2011 by the Simonian Educational Foundation in Armenia. It is an inclusive digital education programme that teaches creative digital skills like programming, animation, game development, music, film, 3-D modelling and graphic design to 12-18 year olds. There are already 11 TUMO centres in seven countries worldwide, including one in Berlin.
The donation is part of the Care for Ukraine Refugees initiative, which was jointly adopted in March 2022 by the national development banks BGK (Poland), CDC (France), CDP (Italy), ICO (Spain), KfW and the EIB. The initiative collects projects and financing that benefit Ukrainian internally displaced persons and refugees and has now reached a volume of €2.9 billion. KfW and the EIB are helping to promote the forward-looking, innovative TUMO concept, thereby setting a further example of cooperation in their partnership.
