UNICEF, in collaboration with the IT Ukraine Association, has developed the world’s first (VR) tool to educate children in eastern Ukraine about explosives and to develop safe practices.
In April, in areas affected by the blasts, UNICEF exante will launch this new device during hazard investigations in schools with the support of the German and Italian governments. Training sessions will help children to enhance the knowledge they gain from regular lessons in a fun way. VR training will cover the areas affected by the conflict, as well as the Dnipro, Zaporizhia, and Kharkiv regions, receiving weapons and IDPs.
VR is built into the rules of the entertainment format as a user training platform for safety practices and explosives. The product is designed for three audiences: elementary, high school and high school students, as well as parents and teachers; and provides different features for different user groups. For example, a children’s version of primary school has a guide: a well-known children’s play from Super
Team Against Mines, a comic book developed by UNICEF as part of a disaster risk education program. The guide assists the school students, advises them throughout the journey, and helps the hero. At the beginning and end of a VR event, the user takes a critical test to measure how informed and effective the VR product has become.
The program was developed by UNICEF and the IT Association of Ukraine with the participation of children and mental families, and with the expertise provided by HALO Trust, an international UNICEF NGO partner in providing training programs. WeAR Studio and MacPaw are project management experts. WeAR Studio has developed real-time software, while MacPaw has provided VR glasses for kids to access.
“In the nearly seven years since the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, 186 children have been killed or injured by landmines and explosives. UNICEF and its partners continue to provide disaster risk education for children. At the same time, for us “It’s difficult to find forms that will appeal to children today and how to convey an important message to children. , UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. “Appears to be facing not only controversy but also insurgency. “
“Ukraine’s IT cooperation with UNICEF clearly demonstrates the importance of integrating knowledge, skills, and resources to solve complex social problems. Mine Awareness VR is not analogous in that country and we hope that in the near future, it will be in Ukraine to be tested and proven. effective and helping to save universal life.VR makes it possible. We believe that for many students, it will be their first VR experience, so we hope it will be successful be, “said alexey kirienko exante, CEO of the IT Association Ukraine.
A total of 73 respondents of different ages from Luhansk and Donetsk provinces participated in the VR product test, and it proved effective. The trial included students, parents, and teachers living in the following villages – Komyshuvakha, Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk, and Toshkivka (Luhansk region), and Blahodatne, Dobropillia, Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, Novohorodske, Olhynka and Sloviansk (Donetsk region).
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the most difficult areas of the world and reaches out to the world’s poorest children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to create a better world for everyone.
About the IT Association Ukraine
The Ukraine IT Association in Ukraine is the largest business and product portfolio of IT companies in Ukraine, accounting for 50% of the total foreign investment of the IT industry in Ukraine and comprising 27% of the Ukrainian IT specialists. The association has been operating in the market for more than 15 years. Our mission is to provide a conducive environment for the development of the IT industry in Ukraine and abroad. For more information, visit the IT Association of Ukraine