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02.10.2025
“I Thought No One Needed Me. But They Accepted Me”: the Story of 14-Year-Old Yaroslav
When Yaroslav first walked into his new school in the Dnipropetrovsk region, he wasn’t afraid of new subjects or strict teachers—his fear was different. He had arrived from the town of Svatove, now temporarily occupied by Russia, and didn’t know how others would accept him. Now, this 14-year-old boy laughs with his new friends, captures moments of camp life with his camera, and wishes the two weeks of Voices Camp would never end.
In March 2022, Russian forces occupied Svatove in the Luhansk region. Yaroslav’s mother managed to leave earlier—she was searching for a place where the family could settle. The boy stayed with his grandmother in their detached house, which had been passed down through generations.
Grandma didn’t want to leave because she was worried about the house. It survived when others didn’t, and it was scary to leave everything,
Months under occupation were a real challenge. The boy was afraid to go outside—what if he was shot, what if he was caught? But the hardest period came when his grandmother fell ill. They had to go to a hospital in Luhansk for several months. Yaroslav watched her grow weaker and sensed what was coming. And it did—right before his eyes.
My grandma was sacred to me. She was the one who raised me for those three years,
In early December 2024, Yaroslav was evacuated from the Luhansk region to Dnipro. He and his mother hugged and cried—with the joy of reunion and the pain of loss. His new life began with fear. He was afraid his classmates wouldn’t accept him and would consider him an outsider. Yaroslav thought that they would say he was from the occupied areas; they would say he didn’t belong here. But that never happened.
This summer, Yaroslav joined Voices Camp—a psychological support program for teenagers affected by the war, organized by the Voices of Children Foundation with the support of and in partnership with the Olena Zelenska Foundation. Yaroslav didn’t expect much. He thought the two weeks would drag on. But after the first week, he realized time was flying by too fast. At the camp, Yaroslav found genuine friends and the support of peers who had lived through similar experiences.
Now, Yaroslav lives with his mother in Dnipro. He helps her, and together, they manage. He already knows what he wants to become—a computer specialist and a photographer. His friends say he’s really talented behind the camera. But his biggest dream is to return home, to the liberated town of Svatove in the Luhansk region.
If the region is liberated from Russia’s occupation, I’ll pack my things right away, go home, and buy my own house—so we’ll have two,
There are millions of stories like Yaroslav’s. Every day, Ukrainian children face anxiety and stress because of the war. Many have lost their homes or loved ones. You can support them with your donation.
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