Alo Tamm is CEO of the Estonian modular construction company Harmet. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estonia pledged to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s Zhytomyr province. As part of this reconstruction effort, Alo’s company helped build a new kindergarten for the city of Ovruch, where schooling had been disrupted by the war.
"Children are our future, and they have to feel comfortable and safe in their kindergartens. This was the first kindergarten where we also built a bomb shelter. It's crazy to think that you need a bomb shelter. This is the reality now in Ukraine", Alo says.
Due to the ongoing conflict, the kindergarten was built in modules in Estonia and then transported via road and rail through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to Ovruch, where construction was completed.
Getting the modules to Ukraine was made easier thanks to the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes.
"It was a huge collaboration between different stakeholders, of different countries. Everybody was trying to help. All the heads of the customs collaborated well to create a good corridor through to the Ukrainian border. It was a very significant and very good example of public-private partnership," he says.
"This project was implemented in a very short time. It was pretty fast, I think it took about a week for it to get to us," remembers Nataliya Dubovyk, Director of the kindergarten.
Construction was completed in June 2023 and an extension opened in December that same year, expanding the kindergarten’s capacity to 160 children.
"The atmosphere is inspiring. We also have lifts that can take children with special needs up and down. There is also ventilation, toilets, rooms for children with special needs, medical stations, plus a gym and a music room. When we come to work in the morning, the kids are happy, they run up to us and smile, so we are doing everything right," Nataliya says.
The Solidarity Lanes will continue to enable exchanges and cooperation, open new opportunities for people and businesses, and play a crucial role in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
