Renovated Shelter Opened in Shostka School No. 6 Under Oshchadbank and Visa’s Charity Project ‘Give Shelter to Children’

SHOSTKA, July 27, 2023 — A renovated shelter for employees and students was opened in secondary school No. 6 in the city of Shostka (Sumy region). On-site studying at school will become more convenient and safer.

About 1.5 million hryvnias for the repair and equipment of the shelter were collected under Oshchadbank and Visa’s charity campaign ‘Give Shelter to Children’, which started on March 1, 2023.

Tens of thousands of people joined the initiative: when paying with any Visa card from Oshchadbank in the retail network in the amount of UAH 50 or more, the bank transferred 1 hryvnia to the reconstruction project.

The school in Shostka became the first whose shelter was renovated under this project.

The collected funds facilitated a major renovation of the shelter. Construction and infrastructural works included foundation repair, thorough renovation of utilities, renovation of bathrooms and installation of new furniture.

“The goal of the ‘Give Shelter to Children’ campaign is to ensure that even the horrors of a full-scale war do not interrupt the educational process. In order for schoolchildren to continue studying, bomb shelters are needed to make classes safe. This is especially true in Shostka, situated 60 km from the border with the aggressor state. I thank Visa for supporting us in this noble initiative. It is hard to imagine a successful state without a proper education. This campaign is our joint contribution to the flourishing post-war Ukraine,” commented Serhii Naumov, Chairman of the Board of Oshchadbank.

“This project has several positive components. First of all, we help gradually transfer education in Ukrainian schools to an on-site format. This is important because everyone understands that online education is not as effective as face-to-face teaching and communication with peers. Another point is that this project popularizes cashless payments. People accustomed to using Visa cards not only make payments but also become benefactors. And this is another incentive for everyone to give up cash,” noted Deputy Chairman of the Board of Oshchadbank Anton Tiutiun.

“The renovated shelter is better than the rest of the classrooms, so now they will have to be brought up to the shelter’s level. I thank everyone for such a gift to our school,” added Shostka Mayor Mykola Noha.

“By restoring school shelters, socially responsible businesses and caring citizens are investing in the future of their country,” said Svitlana Chyrva, Visa Vice President, Country Manager for Ukraine and Moldova. “We were happy to join the charity initiative of our long-term partner, Oshchadbank. We have shown once again that online charity tools and digital payments work effectively to address urgent social issues and raise funds”.

The official rules of the ‘Give Shelter to Children’ campaign can be accessed here.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.ua.

About Oshchadbank

Oshchadbank is the leading Ukrainian universal commercial bank, 100% of whose shares belong to the state. Since the beginning of hostilities, Oschad, as a systemically important bank, has primarily concentrated its efforts on ensuring smooth operation at all levels. Oshchadbank has the largest network, which includes about 1,200 branches and provides services to more than 6.6 million customers.

Media Contacts

Leonid Ziabrev, Head of Public and
Media Relations Department at Oshchadbank:
[email protected]