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20.01.2025
Surviving a Missile Strike and His Mother’s Injury: The Story of 15-Year-Old Matvii
The war has made many of us grow up faster, not just me,
Matvii is from the Kharkiv Oblast (Region) and has survived several Russian missile attacks. During one of them, his mother was injured while she and his father were delivering food to Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint. In another, a cluster bomb hit their home.
It was really scary, but we made it through. A streetlight pole saved me when the cluster bomb struck it, and I was only about ten feet away (three meters away). If it were not for the pole, I might not be here now,
Matvii was a participant of the “Voices Camp” in Zakarpattia, organized by the “Voices of Children” Foundation and the Olena Zelenska Foundation. There, he had the chance to rest, make new friends, and begin to heal emotionally after everything he had been through.
I am really impressed by how, in all of this, these kids somehow do not lose their childlike spirit. They might talk about something sad in a psychology session or share their stories — some of them truly heartbreaking — and then, ten minutes later, they are running around and having fun. They switch so fast,
Matvii loves sports and dreams of becoming a programmer and learning about investing. He also has a big goal: to buy a car and travel the world with his family.
Life goes on, and we need to find joy in it. That’s why I’m always trying to stay positive,
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