Hladiuk \u2014 an earth scientist by profession, as well as the Calgary Eyeopener\u2019s starman for the last four decades \u2014 said both sets of his grandparents were from Ukraine, and he was looking for a way to support the war effort from Canada.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When retired teacher and friend Julia Wowkodaw mentioned she had been volunteering with Vchysia \u2014 giving online English lessons by reading the Harry Potter series \u2014 Hladiuk was eager to get involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought this would be an opportunity to share my love of the night sky and try to give these students some normalcy because many of them that join me have no power, no heat \u2026 they’re in bomb shelters being attacked,\u201d Hladiuk said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both Hladiuk and Wowkodaw volunteer with Vchysia\u2019s Ukraine Speaks English program, which provides free English lessons through conversation clubs on a variety of topics. Each class involves a moderator to help with any translation between the students and teacher.<\/p>\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767031508_815_default.jpg\")
Hladiuk has worked as the Calgary Eyeopener’s starman for the last 40 years. He got involved with Vchysia after friend and retried teacher Julia Wowkadow mentioned her experience volunteering with the organization. (Nicole Mortillaro)<\/p>\n
Like Hladiuk, Wowkodaw said she has developed deep connections with the students in her classes, and becomes concerned when they are unable to join because of the danger around them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know what I would do if something happened to any of these kids,\u201d Wowkodaw said.<\/p>\n
Despite that fear, however, Wowkodaw said being an extra support system for the students is what fuels her and the other volunteer teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe common thread with the volunteers is that it’s the high point of their week doing this activity and they get a lot of enjoyment and emotional affirmation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Filling gaps in learning<\/p>\n
Vchysia has been operating in its current form since 2024. Before that, it worked with Smart Osvita \u2014 an NGO focused on training and supporting teachers \u2014 before shifting its focus towards students when the war began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Olena Zhupanova, a project manager with Vchysia, said the English program currently has 35 volunteer teachers from various countries, providing 12 to 16 lessons per week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s one of the biggest educational volunteer projects in Ukraine right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Zhupanova, who lives in Kyiv, said she joined the organization six months after the conflict began. Before the war, she worked in a bookstore and as a children\u2019s book author.<\/p>\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767031508_293_default.jpg\")
Olena Zhupanova is a project manager with Vchysia. She joined the organization after she was forced to flee her home in Kyiv after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. (Submitted by Olena Zhupanova)<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved my work, I loved my life, but then one day everything changed and I had to leave Ukraine for five months,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After living as a refugee with her two kids in Sweden, Zhupanova returned to Ukraine to be with her husband, who had joined the Ukrainian military. Although she could not fight herself, Zhupanova said she still wanted to find a way to contribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot stop the war,\u201d she said. \u201cBut still, I can help my country somehow, and so this is the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization\u2019s main goal, Zhupanova said, is to fill the educational gaps the war has created through its various educational programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cUkrainian students have significant educational losses due to air raid alerts, air strikes, displacement, power cuts, and educational NGOs like ours try to help them to overcome these losses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added Hladiuk and Wowkadow have been great additions to their volunteer team, especially as their courses provide an opportunity for students to dive deeper into topics that are not always covered in the mainstream curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur aim is to not only teach them English, but also provide them an opportunity to learn something new, something exciting, [and] to connect with the person on the other side of the planet,\u201d Zhupanova said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A replicable model<\/p>\n
Beyond supporting students and teachers in Ukraine, the work of Vchysia and Smart Osvita has also inspired a similar Canadian-led effort to help students in other countries devastated by war.<\/p>\n
Teacher David Falconer started Classrooms Without Walls after volunteering with Vchysia and Smart Osvita in 2022. After working with them to develop a pool of volunteers, a colleague asked Falconer to help implement the same approach in Myanmar, which has been facing the fallout of a coup since 2021.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, \u2018Okay there’s something here that I had not considered before,\u2019 which is we need to start an organization,\u201d said Falconer, who is based in Cochrane, Alta.\u00a0<\/p>\n The organization has since expanded to offer free online lessons to students in Afghanistan, primarily women and girls who are prevented from accessing education.<\/a><\/p>\n Classrooms Without Walls partnered with Vchysia through its Teachers For Ukraine initiative, helping to connect volunteers with programs like Ukraine Speaks English.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1767031508_400_default.jpg\")
David Falconer started Classrooms Without Walls after volunteering with Smart Osvita in 2022. The organization now delivers online lessons to students in Ukraine, Myanmar and Afghanistan. (Colin Hall\/CBC)<\/p>\n