The history of the Goncharenko Centres network began in 2019, when Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncharenko gathered a team of like-minded people who started teaching English language for free in remote villages of Odesa region.
In less than two years, it became clear that the demand for quality free education in Ukraine was much greater. Thus, in February 2021, a completely innovative for Ukraine project was born — a network of educational and cultural spaces called the Goncharenko Centre.
The first to receive visitors were the educational hubs in Podilsk and Balta, both located in Odesa region. Later, the Goncharenko Centres started opening outside the region and became a nationwide project, now operating in the east, west, north, and center of Ukraine.
The basis of every Goncharenko Centre is free Ukrainian and English language courses for children and adults. But that’s not all. Among languages taught at different Goncharenko centres there are: German, Polish, French, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. And besides language ones, the “basic” set of courses provided also includes financial literacy, digital security, and career guidance programs.
So far:
- There are more than 30 Goncharenko Centres which serve as open educational and cultural hubs in different parts of Ukraine.
- Our network successfully operates not only in large cities and regional centers, but also in small communities with a population of up to 10,000 people.
- In the first three years of the project, the centres have united 950,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 of whom — in 2024 alone.
- Among our partners, patrons and friends there are: the University of Pennsylvania, Cisco Systems, Michael Ashcroft, a member of the House of Lords, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the State Employment Service of Ukraine, the Kruk UAV Operator Training School, the DrukArmy volunteer movement and dozens of other organizations.
After February 24, 2022, educational and cultural activities of the centres were expanded to include volunteering. Our spaces became a place of unity for thousands of volunteers who began to help internally displaced persons and the Ukrainian army. Here we weave camouflage nets, print the needed military details on 3D printers, and raise millions of hryvnias to help the army.
For security reasons, the project team closed the centers in the frontline cities like Lyman, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, but retained a team of teachers — this is how the Goncharenko Centre Online started its operation. This free online platform has become the flagship of our educational project.
- Goncharenko Centre Online has been in operation for 24 months already.
- 900 online events with 30 instructors are being held monthly.
- 16000 people are undergoing training here and we welcome at least 1000 new students each month.
Living in war conditions has somewhat changed the needs of the population regarding education and entertainment, so our projects have changed accordingly.
Goncharenko Centres became pioneers in teaching a specialized English course for the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result, more than 2,500 soldiers have already
completed the course, connecting directly from the trenches, hospitals or training centers. These courses are on-going, so we expect many more graduates to come.
Goncharenko Centers also provide free English training to employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Special courses for Ukrainian rescuers are held both offline and online, following a specially prepared program that will help emergency workers communicate with foreign colleagues and learn from their experience.
Free English courses are also taught for the IDPs to strengthen their positions in the labor market and reduce the general unemployment rates in Ukraine.
A separate area of work of the Goncharenko Centres is providing free legal aid for military personnel, IDPs and Ukrainians abroad. This is the responsibility of a separate Legal Goncharenko Centre, which celebrated its first year of operation in May 2024.
Our lawyers have already provided free legal assistance to more than 75,000 Ukrainians, most of which are members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Currently, the Legal Centre’s team has four separate hotlines that help Ukrainians on a daily basis:
- for military personnel;
- for their families;
- for internally displaced persons;
- for Ukrainian refugees.
Оur Plus-Plus initiative is aimed at supporting women from military families. This project provides comprehensive legal and psychological assistance and general support to wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters of Ukrainian soldiers. In less than a year of operation, we have managed to form a community of more than 5,000 heroic women who are enjoying a range of services: from undergoing psychological therapy together to learning how to start a business, and meeting at joint workshops and educational lectures.
Despite the full-scale war and constant shelling, we continue to do our job and do it well. Our centers operate steadily both in the “rear” cities and in the settlements near the frontline. We work wherever there is a demand for quality free education. And we will continue to work as we believe that everyone should have access to it, regardless of the size of the settlement.
Feel free to reach us at:
goncharenkocentre@gmail.com
