Finding Light in Dark Times

By Jing Li

Ukraine lies roughly at the same latitude as the border between the US and Canada but chilled by arctic winds, its winters are far, far colder.

I remember temperatures dropping to -25 degrees C (-13 degrees F) during the winter months when I taught in Shechenkove. Students and teachers alike frequently ended up wearing their thick, knee-length winter coats all day, even inside the school buildings. There were limits, however: When the thermometer hit -20 C, primary school would be canceled. When it fell to -25 C, even the middle and high school students stayed home. Trying to heat classrooms under those conditions was simply too expensive.

The Russian invasion tried to use Ukraine’s weather as a weapon. Power plants and the electrical grid have taken sustained and deliberate damage. During the winter of 2022, rolling blackouts, particularly near active war zones, became frequent. They are likely to become the norm again, in late 2023, when the weather turns cold again. The Ukrainian electricity infrastructure is still damaged from too many attacks.

And the schools? Many have remained closed, in hopes of keeping students and teachers safe. That’s left students and teachers trying to continue lessons through online distance learning. And much as US students and teachers found during the COVID pandemic, online learning presents other challenges. Many students lack reliable home internet services and electronic devices to dial into remote classes. Cell phone reception has become spotty. Many children still lack laptops or tablets and so wind up borrowing phones and tablets from other family members.

How do you create light when the long winter nights seem so bleak? Through creative thinking.

American friends and coworkers have asked me if solar-powered flashlights and camping electronics chargers would be a viable option to send overseas. I put that question to my former students and Ukrainian friends. What they told me: the intense demand for solar-powered lights and chargers makes them incredibly scarce in Ukraine right now. And, frankly, given the short winter days, capped off by sunset around 3pm local time, solar-power isn’t likely to be an effective option.

Still, one of my former high school students was able to find some rechargeable flashlights for purchase locally in Ukraine for 200 UAH (about $5.5 USD) apiece. That led my student to a very practical solution: Rechargeable flashlights that can be directly connected to a wall outlet!

A rechargeable flashlight!

Yet another former student, named Dasha, suggested alternative approach. Dasha, her husband and two young children are currently living in Poltava oblast (southwest of Kharkiv). They fear the shelling and bombing that Shevechenko has already endured will continue–but they haven’t forgotten their friends who are still there.

Dasha’s idea: to make candles by hand. She learned the technique for candle making online, then put together plans for a small project, requesting modest support of $100 USD. With clothespins, recycled mason jars and pipe molds, Dasha made 29 candles–and took the time to paint cheerful flowers and hearts in Ukrainian blue and yellow, on every glass.

She didn’t have enough candles for every teacher, but one of the math teachers had an even better solution: We helped Dasha distribute the candles to “pensioners” (retirees) and veterans in the community.

As Ukrainians prepare for their second winter under siege, most expect to see the return of rolling blackouts as the government tries to balance the demands on the still fragile electric grid. As winter temperatures plunge below freezing, the top priority for Ukrainians will be finding heat to stay warm, preparing and cooking food and getting access to electricity for other essential needs such as charging phones and other devices for online learning. Even finding clean drinking water may become a challenge. Emergency supplies, including flashlight batteries, will continue to be precious goods.

Feel free to reach out if you have ideas for winter projects or if you’re interested in partnering with Project Ollie to support students and educators throughout the year.

Making candles

Image source: Reddit