A FOUNTAINSTOWN woman who founded the Greater Chernobyl Cause has told of her heartache after a school supported by the Cork-based charity was bombed.

Fiona Corcoran, who set up the charity in 2002 in response to the fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, said the shelling by Russian forces of the school in Ivanhiv in Ukraine on Saturday night had left her with a “broken heart”.

Fiona and the charity she founded has assisted the vulnerable in Ukraine for more than two decades.

She expanded her mission to help orphans, the elderly and those in needs in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia.

She described to the Southern Star how the hope she had seen in the community in Ivanhiv – a community less than 60km from Chernobyl – had been dealt a “cruel blow”.

Fiona said: “The recent destruction of Lyceum No 2 in Ivankiv is not merely an attack on bricks and mortar – it is a direct attack on the future, safety and dignity of our children.

“But the school was more than a building; it was a living, breathing symbol of endurance, of persistence, of belief in a better tomorrow. Its halls once rang with laughter, debate and the ceaseless curiosity of young minds – echoes now quieted by soot and sorrow.”

A Russian drone strike on September 25 set fire to the school – which was the only one in the area with a bomb shelter.

Nobody was in the building at the time but emergency crews who rushed to the scene could not contain the blaze.

More than 300sqm of the building suffered catastrophic damage which could be impossible to repair.

“This refuge provided a precious sense of security,” said Fiona. “It was a beacon of hope for parents who wanted their children to have a normal childhood, even as air raid sirens wailed outside.

“Dozens of teachers devoted themselves to the wellbeing of every single child, adapting lessons to new realities, providing comfort in air raids and establishing a semblance of routine amid chaos.”

Fiona said Lyceum No 2 not only catered for the children of Ivankiv but also received students from three nearby schools whose premises had been damaged, occupied or closed.

“For many families, it was the last haven,” she said.

“I remember meeting a boy who had been displaced by the fighting, who said the school was the only place he could forget the war, even if it was just for a little while.

“That sanctuary has now been destroyed in one senseless act of violence.”

Ivankiv was one of the first Ukrainian communities invaded when Russian troops crossed the Chernobyl border in February 2022.

For 34 days people lived under Russian occupation.

Fiona said far from breaking the spirit of the community the fear and deprivation only made them grow stronger and more determined.

And she described the attack on Lyceum No 2, a refuge for more than 1,100 students, as an “act of barbarism”.

She continued: “Destroying a school, a haven for children, a pillar of the community, crosses all lines of decency and international law. As I watched the footage of the burning school, I thought of the children whose artwork had filled those hallways, the teachers who had lost sleep planning for each new day, the parents who had only wished to see their children safe.”

Fiona told how her work with the Greater Chernobyl Cause continues in response to new tragedies. She urged the people of Ireland to condemn the attack and support the charity in any way they can.

She said: “We are in Ivankiv not only as aid workers but as friends and fellow human beings. I have seen the bravery of teachers going back to the rubble of their classrooms to pull out what they can.”

She added: “The world cannot turn away. We owe it to the people of Ivankiv, to every child deprived of safety and education, to stand up, speak out and hold them to account.

“We need to rebuild lives, not just buildings. Now is the time to act. Every gift, every note of encouragement, every story shared makes a difference. It promises the children of Ivankiv that the world will not abandon them.”

Donations can be made at: www.greaterchernobylcause.ie