Exhibition and Book "War Through the Voices of Children" Presented in Malta

Author:

Anastasia Poleshko

The bilingual Ukrainian-English illustrated book War Through the Voices of Children was presented at a charity exhibition in Malta.

The book, which contains around a hundred children's quotes about the war, was presented in the city of Mellieħa, located in the northern part of the island. An illustration accompanies each quote. The images were created by children themselves, as well as designers, artists, photographers, and renowned individuals from around the world, including illustrators Nikita Titov, Serhii Maidukov, Oleksandr Hrekhov, and Iryna Vale; singer Jamala and her son Rahman; singer Sviatoslav Vakarchuk; and chef Yevhen Klopotenko.

The book's presentation serves as a way to draw attention to the lives of children forced to grow up during wartime. The project was realized in cooperation between our Foundation, the Mellieħa City Council, the Embassy of Malta in Ukraine, and Maltese MP Robert Cutajar, who personally brought the book War Through the Voices of Children to the island.

The exhibition was organized at the Mellieħa main square. The organizers chose a symbolic name: Mellieħa Unites with Ukrainian Children. Malta's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Ian Borg, opened the event. Among the guests were Mellieħa's Mayor Gabriel Micallef and MP Robert Cutajar.

I would like to thank the Mellieħa Local Council, which, during last year's Christmas celebrations, gave me the opportunity to organize an exhibition of drawings by Ukrainian children who have suffered and continue to suffer from the consequences of war. Through this exhibition, donations are being collected to support these Ukrainian children. I am grateful to everyone who has already donated and to the Embassy and Consulate of Malta in Ukraine for their support of this initiative,

said Robert Cutajar.

The exhibition displayed stands with quotes from the book and corresponding illustrations.

The funds collected, amounting to €4,135, will now be donated to Ukraine by Maltese Ambassador John Debono and Consul Ian Scerri to benefit Ukrainian children who have suffered and continue to suffer from the devastating effects of the ongoing war.

The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, sent a letter of gratitude to the Speaker of the Maltese Parliament, Angelo Farrugia, and all Maltese citizens for their support of Ukrainians. We join in expressing our appreciation and send warm regards to the Embassy of Malta in Ukraine and personally to Robert Cutajar for his compassion.

As a reminder, the book War Through the Voices of Children was prepared by our Foundation in collaboration with the OVO literary agency to mark the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 22, 2023. Later, the copyright was transferred to HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world's leading English-language publishers.

War Through the Voices of Children is being read in various countries worldwide. Immediately after its release, it received the support of the Federation of European Publishers. This initiative was just the beginning. The book has since been presented at the OSCE headquarters, at a meeting of the European Parliament's Cultural Committee, to members of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague, on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, at the Warsaw Security Forum, at an exhibition in Austria, and now on the island of Malta.

The book is not for sale, but you can receive a copy by donating here. A portion of the proceeds from each copy goes toward psychological support for Ukrainian children affected by the war.