“Life Goes on: Make It Happier Yourself”: the Story of 14-Year-Old Polina from Kramatorsk
Polina barely remembers the first days of the full-scale war. Only in fragments: February 2022—the way to the Kharkiv region, searching for safety. In vain… A few days later—back to Kramatorsk. Then followed a long three-day journey from her hometown to Lviv.
Though her memory has erased almost all the painful moments, the memories live on in her poems. Polina began writing them during the war.
It was painful.
As if my lungs were crushed into nothingness.
My eyes were burning.
And tears flowed in an endless hail.
I wasn’t alone there at that moment,
But somehow I felt lonely:
A certain part of my soul ached so much.
And I remembered it well.
I haven’t been home for three years.
My home is where my people are.
I would shout all the words in the world,
So that no one would ever be left alone again.
In spring 2025, Polina attended Voices Camp. The spring camp in the Carpathians was organized through the joint efforts of the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and Binance Charity. The camp’s program aims to support children living through the difficult experiences of the war.
At Voices Camp, Polina met, as she says, many like-minded peers—those who, like her, have had to leave home, miss their homes, and are still adjusting to new lives.
At our regional centers, teenagers can find a community of like-minded peers, receive psychological support, and participate in creative activities and games. If needed, anyone can also contact our free psychological support helpline for children and parents: 0 800 210 106.
If you share the mission of Voices of Children, please support the Foundation’s daily work with a donation.