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"When the day comes and the war ends..." — this is how 13-year-old Anastasiia from Donetsk illustrated her drawing. Exactly two years ago, she left her family, home, and city because russia began a large-scale war against Ukraine.
Each person will continue this quote in their way, but its meaning will be common: "I will go to my grandparents", "I will finally sleep in my bed", "my dad will come back from the war". The vast majority of Ukrainian children do not live in their native homes; some of them do not see their parents because they are military personnel, and some will never see them again…
I miss my home, my friends, my dad who went to the front,
wrote 10-year-old Sofiia on her drawing.
wrote 10-year-old Sofiia on her drawing.
At first glance, modern Ukrainian children draw the same things as their peers did in the past: flowers, their homes, and familiar places. However, now children's drawings have a deeper meaning because they depict what has been lost, often permanently.
To commemorate the second anniversary of the large-scale war, we launched the "Two Childhoods" project. Within its framework, we collected children's drawings from our friends and colleagues, drawn in the peaceful times of the past, and those drawn by today's children during the war. We want to show how war affects children, and how it changes their lives, values, and dreams.
When we collected children's drawings among colleagues, it turned out that many of them lost them along with their homes, or they remained under occupation. It turns out that war takes away not only childhood but also memories of it.
The most painful realization is that countless children's drawings will never be made…
After all, 528 Ukrainian children have died in two years of large-scale war.
After all, 528 Ukrainian children have died in two years of large-scale war.
If we compare what children drew 20–30 years ago and now, we can find a lot in common. However, in the illustrations of modern children, there is much more specificity. For example, it's not just a park, but specifically the Yuvileinyi park in Kherson. These are not just superheroes, but our defenders in pixel military form. Children often depict them as guardian angels who protect our sky, protect Ukraine, and our lives,
said Olha Tymchenko, head of the communications department.
said Olha Tymchenko, head of the communications department.
If you have preserved children's drawings, send us photos. Join the "Two Childhoods" project.
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