Edusaster
Education is one of society’s foundations, but it is severely tested in crisis contexts like the 2023 earthquake in Turkey or the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Edusaster” is a testament to the resilience and hope of young students affected by humanitarian crises. Students clutching their backpacks tightly are interwoven with the destroyed schools, devastated by events that seem determined to erase any possibility of learning.
The backpacks, held tightly by these children and adolescents, stand as a powerful symbol of defiance. They hold not only their dreams, books, and pens but also represent the restart of the education process. Just as backpacks are used to carry essential learning tools, they also carry the weight of hope and the will to rebuild, serving as a beacon for a brighter future amidst the ruins. Each student with their backpack is a testament to their determination and resistance against the loss of normality and safety.
Contrasting the sweetness and fragility of these young lives are the destroyed educational facilities, now reduced to empty skeletons. Each damaged structure carries the weight of interrupted education, of places once filled with life, voices, laughter, and learning. However, their presence does not represent destruction alone; it is also the strength of rebuilding, with each backpack symbolising survival and the promise of starting anew.
One in four of the world’s school-age children lives in countries affected by humanitarian crises such as conflicts, natural disasters and disease outbreaks. About 78 million children are either already missing out on their education, receiving poor-quality schooling or at risk of dropping out of school altogether.

Alya, 10 years old. Tepehan, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Ruins of a middle school gymnasium. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Secondary school diploma abandoned inside a school. Antakya, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

İsmail, 10 years old. Hassa, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Yryna, 7 years old. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

“Success in learning, success in life!”. Bombed school entrance. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Christina, 8 years old. Kiev (Ukraine) - 2024

High school entrance damaged and abandoned after the earthquake. Islahiye, Gaziantep (Turkey) - 2024

Abandoned books in a kindergarten. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Ecrin, 7 years old. Kirikhan, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Anton, 5 years old. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Elementary school courtyard, closed after the earthquake due to damage. Antakya, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Mert, 13 yeards old. Samandang, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Interior of a bombed school. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

An Ataturk’s celebratory framework, father of modern Turkey, in a collapsed classroom. Antakya, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Serhei, 6 years old. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Hakan, 8 years old. Tepehan, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Basketball court in a schoolyard. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Halyna, 10 years old. Kiev (Ukraine) - 2024

Front facade of a school, closed and boarded up due to the earthquake damages. Antakya, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Middle school entrance hall. Kharkiv (Ukraine) - 2024

Solaminia, 8 years old. Kiev (Ukraine) - 2024

Aras, 9 years old. Samandang, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024

Entrance gate of a collapsed primary school. Antakya, Hatay (Turkey) - 2024