One year of partnership with Kryvyi Rih
We signed a partnership agreement with the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih one year ago. Through this partnership, we have engaged in wide-ranging cooperation in many fields.
The partnership agreement was signed on 9 May 2023. For us, the partnership has been a way to show our solidarity with Ukraine during the war.
Kryvyi Rih is a city of 600,000 residents that wants to promote education and sustainable development in this very difficult situation.
We started our cooperation with Kryvyi Rih in the field of education in the autumn of 2022 and, as a result of our agreement, our education-related cooperation has remained active. We have also found common interests in other fields.
Partnership enables cooperation in many fields
All general upper secondary schools in Espoo have a twin school in Kryvyi Rih, and cooperation has expanded to include vocational schools and universities. Aalto University, Metropolia and Omnia have been involved in promoting educational cooperation. Shared interests include digitalisation development, mobility and pedagogical development. Here you can read more about Omnia’s cooperation with Ukrainian schools(external link, opens in a new window).
Last spring, Espoo’s Growth and Learning Sector donated 500 computers to Ukraine. In the summer, we sent school furniture to Kryvyi Rih. Our schools have also organised their own collections to help Ukrainians.
Equipment has also been delivered to Ukraine through an EU-wide collection. In early 2023, we and the cities of Helsinki and Vantaa participated in the “Generators of Hope” campaign launched by the European Parliament and the Eurocities network to collect new and used equipment for heating and electricity production. The campaign was successful, and we collected almost 120 generators, heaters and other devices.
Krok, a multidisciplinary group of young musicians from Kryvyi Rih, performed on Ukraine’s Independence Day 24 August 2023 at Etelä-Tapiolan lukio. Later that day, the musicians joined the sunflower march in Helsinki. The group also performed on Espoo Day and spent a total of five days in Espoo. One of the purposes of the trip was to give the young people a break from their daily lives in the middle of the war.
We have continued our active cooperation this year. In April, the Kryvyi Rih Junior Big Band visited April Jazz Festival.
Enquiries
Milla Ovaska, Head of International Affairs, tel. +358 43 8244911, milla.ovaska@espoo.fi.
News article at espoo.fi about the signing of the partnership agreement