Educating the Future of a Nation
In Ukraine, the war is ongoing, but life cannot wait—especially for children. Russia’s targeted campaign to destroy educational infrastructure has left millions of students displaced and thousands of schools damaged—in one city alone, 27 out of 35 schools were bombed. In frontline regions, many students have not attended formal school for five consecutive years.
The risks and impact of learning loss are clear, but it goes beyond that, robbing individuals of their most formative experiences and milestones like attending prom, graduating, or making friends. School is where culture is passed to the next generation and identity forms, which can feel existential during a war. This is not just happening in Ukraine; communities in conflict zones around the world struggle to provide their children with education and to maintain community spaces and traditions.
Anna Novosad is committed to providing a safe and accessible learning experience for Ukrainian children. After being in the US on a Fellowship at Vanderbilt University, Anna returned to Ukraine on the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. She immediately mobilized with others as the war broke out to help teachers and schools adapt and respond to mitigate learning loss and instability for children. She has leveraged her expertise and network from her time as Ukraine's youngest Minister of Education & Science, and has stepped up to rethink what learning could look like on the frontlines of conflict.
What started as an engineering and infrastructure challenge in the early shocks of the war, Anna co-founded savED into a robust effort alongside local partners and communities to restore access to education for over 250,000 students in 135 communities.
With Anna’s leadership, savED has created a system of learning centers, bomb shelter schools, learning loss and social support programs to meet children’s and educators’ needs. These centers create safe places for kids to play and learn. They are also community hubs of resilience – preserving a sense of normality for Ukrainian children, families and teachers. Beyond providing critical and safe in-person learning for children, savED is serving as a lifeline for war-affected families—and it is seen as a model that can significantly inform the long-term recovery of the nation and other areas navigating conflict or crisis.
2019, Anna was appointed Minister of Education & Science
2021, Anna is an Aspen Kyiv Young Leader
2022, Anna completes the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program at Vanderbilt University
2022, Anna returns to Ukraine and co-founds savED
2026, named a McNulty Prize Winner
savED tackles the root causes of obstructed education in war-affected communities: unsafe conditions, deep learning loss, and the erosion of trust and civic agency.
Through UActive, savED empowers students to rebuild a better future for Ukraine. UActive is a ten month leadership program where teenagers learn how to design community projects and pitch their ideas for funding. Projects range from community gyms to outdoor spaces for community events. Over 1,000 students have participated in the program, and 35 projects have been successfully implemented.
160+
learning centers and 70+ school shelters opened by savED.
250,000+
children and 30,000+ educators reached by savED.
9 regions
in Ukraine are impacted by savED.
Looking into the future, Anna and her team are expanding their model across the country to meet Ukraine’s needs. As savED continues to conduct research alongside the Ministry of Education, they hope to integrate reforms to modernize educational standards. In fact, the Ministry of Education recommended UActive for nationwide rollout in schools, signaling adoption of savED's youth civic-education approach within the public system as it rebuilds.
savED has built over 40 EduHives, underground learning centers in Ukraine’s most vulnerable areas.
Students in savED programs gain social support, with 90% of them report making new friends.