Victory. Peace. A Future. What children who lost their parents to the war dream about

Four years of war mean thousands of stories of loss. And thousands of childhoods changed forever.

Since 2022, the Children of Heroes Charity Fund has been supporting children who have lost one or both parents due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Behind the dry numbers in reports are destroyed homes, unfinished bedtime stories, and conversations that ended too soon. Behind the word “loss” is a childhood forced to grow up far too quickly.

This story is about them. About children learning how to live again. About those who dream of rebuilding their homes, bringing back peace, seeing their father in a dream — and waking up without the sound of sirens. These are not only stories of grief, but of strength — of dreams that survived even when their world fell apart.

Viktoriia, 12

Just a few years ago, 12-year-old Viktoriia’s life felt warm and steady: her family home in Makariv in the Kyiv region, her familiar street, a bedroom where everything had its place, plans for the school holidays. That was her childhood — held within walls that remembered laughter, celebrations, and ordinary family evenings.

After the full-scale invasion began, Russian forces destroyed that home. In an instant, it was not only a house that disappeared, but the sense of safety she could always return to. The family had to move to her grandmother’s village home and start over.

Today, Viktoriia does not dream of anything extraordinary, the way children might in times of peace. What she wants is simple: for the war to end, and to return to a rebuilt home where every wall holds a warm memory of the carefree, light-filled life she once knew.

Viktoriia, 15

Viktoriia is 15. Friends and family describe her as active and open — someone who is always at the center of things. She easily connects with people, takes part in school initiatives, and makes plans for the future. Many say she is just like her father — in her character and in her inner strength.

When her father died, it was not only grief. For her, it meant losing the person with whom she shared a special bond. For a long time, she struggled to accept that life had changed. It took time and effort to learn how to live without their daily conversations, without his advice and steady support.

Today, Viktoriia continues her education, is training for a profession, and is thinking about starting her own business one day. When she speaks about the future, there is confidence in her voice again.

Her family believes her father is still near — in the people who support them, in the opportunities that open up, in the hands extended in help. And when Viktoriia smiles, it is a sign that she is finding the strength to keep moving forward.

Yehor, 11

Eleven-year-old Yehor lives in Kyiv. He goes to school and, as soon as classes are over, runs to the football field. Out there, he doesn’t have to think about difficult things — only about the ball, his team, and the next goal. Recently, he started saying he would like to try boxing too. “That’s something Dad would do,” he says.

His father had defended Ukraine since 2014. Even after learning he had an incurable illness, he did not leave the service. He stayed with his fellow soldiers until his last breath.

In their home, his father is spoken of with deep respect. Yehor is growing up with the understanding that courage is not about loud words, but about the daily decision not to give up. His mother now serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together, they dream of victory, of peace for their country, and of a future where children can grow up without war.

Oleksandra, 13

Oleksandra is 13. Her family was in the Kharkiv region when the full-scale invasion began. Then came evacuation — urgency, fear, an evacuation train to Lviv. A new city, a dormitory room, living out of suitcases while constantly waiting for news from the front.

Her father served in combat units. He fought in some of the hardest areas — Kherson, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka. The family learned to live between short phone calls and brief messages. In the spring of 2024, he went missing in action near Avdiivka.

After that, Sasha seemed to grow up overnight. The loss coincided with adolescence — a time that is already complicated enough. Psychological struggles followed. She began working with a therapist, searching for ways to process her emotions through paint, through movement, through the stage.

The theatre studio became a space where she could speak about what matters without saying it directly. A day camp at the Museum of Mathematics brought back a sense of ordinary childhood. These opportunities became possible thanks to the Fund’s support.

The family refuses to put life on hold. They make plans, they study, they work. And they look ahead with a quiet but persistent belief that there is still much light waiting for them.

Vanessa, 12

Vanessa lives in Kyiv. She attends a lyceum, hurries to her theatre classes, and easily gets inspired by new ideas. There is a lot of light in her personality — the same light people always saw in her father.

Her father, Valentyn, was a boxing coach. He was known as someone brave, straightforward, and determined — the kind of person who did not step back in the face of difficulty. On March 7, 2022, he joined the Kyiv Territorial Defense. Later, he completed training in the United Kingdom and was deployed to the Donbas. In October 2022, he was killed when a ракета struck his armored vehicle during a combat mission.

Vanessa speaks about her father with warmth. She remembers both his strength and his care. Her love of sports and creativity is part of the legacy she carries with her.

Today, Vanessa studies, attends theatre classes, and discovers new roles — on stage and in life. Together with her mother, she dreams of Ukraine’s victory and of living in a free, independent country on their own land — without fear and without loss.

Valeriia, 10

Valeriia is 10. She clearly remembers the morning when everything changed. On the first day of the full-scale invasion, her father decided to volunteer. He said that if they did not defend Ukraine, then who would.

Her mother stayed in Kyiv with the two children. It was frightening — sirens, constant news updates, uncertainty. There were countless questions about what would happen next. Yet alongside the fear there was also a firm belief: Kyiv would stand.

Time has passed. The war is now in its fourth year. Valeriia is growing up, going to school, living her childhood as much as possible under wartime conditions.

Their dream has not changed — victory for Ukraine, peace in every family, and for all those defending the country to return home alive.

Sofiia, 12

Sofiia is 12. She is the middle of three sisters. In October 2023, their father was killed in the Donetsk region. The youngest sister was only two years old at the time.

After the news of his death, a heavy silence settled over the family — filled with pain and confusion. Their mother recalls it as a time of despair, when she did not know how to move forward or where to find the strength. Sofiia struggled deeply. She withdrew into herself, carrying the weight of the loss as if trying to fit into her young heart something too large to hold.

Meeting the Fund became a turning point for the family. There were psychologists she could speak to about her grief. Camps where the children slowly learned to laugh again. Legal support, medical assistance, daily care and attention.

Today, the girls attend theatre classes, study English, take part in art therapy, and go to rehabilitation camps. Small steps forward are gradually restoring their sense of life.

“They are life to us,” their mother says about the people at the Fund. In those words there is no exaggeration — only gratitude for those who stood beside them in the hardest moments of their lives.

Maksym, 12

The last time Maksym saw his father was on February 24, 2022. That day, his father left home to defend Ukraine from the Russian invasion. Some time later, he was killed while saving his fellow soldiers.

After his death, the house grew quiet. Maksym struggled for a long time to accept what had happened. For more than a year, he often cried. His mother feared that he would close himself off, that the pain would remain inside him with no way out.

Gradually, people and opportunities appeared that helped him not to face his grief alone. Camps, activities, steady support — step by step, they restored a sense that they were not forgotten.

The theatre became a special place for Maksym. On stage, it is possible to speak even when there are no words in real life. There, he discovered a quiet inner courage — the courage to be himself.

Today, their dream is simple: a peaceful life, good health, and the chance to grow up without war.

Kira, 8

After the full-scale invasion began, Kira and her mother left for Warsaw. It was safer there, quieter, without the constant sound of sirens. They stayed abroad for some time, but in September 2022 they decided to return home to Ukraine. Gradually, they rebuilt their daily routine and tried to restore a sense of normal life — as much as that is possible during war.

Kira’s father was killed while defending Mariupol. For a long time, the family lived in painful uncertainty — his body was not returned, and they had no chance to say goodbye. Only in 2024 were Yevheniia and her daughter finally able to hold a proper farewell and lay him to rest. It was an extremely difficult period that they endured together.

Kira is very creative. She attends a modeling agency, enjoys photo shoots, chooses her own outfits, and loves creating different looks. It is important for her to feel beauty and light around her. She also takes part in art therapy sessions and draws a lot — using creativity to process her emotions and find inner balance.

Yevheniia previously worked as a barista. At the moment, she is not working and relies on state support. She does everything she can to be a steady source of strength for her daughter, carrying the roles of both mother and father. They spend a lot of time together — going to the cinema and theatre, visiting exhibitions, traveling to the sea. Kira often stays with her grandmother in western Ukraine, where a change of surroundings helps her recover emotionally.

Despite their loss, they hold on to one another. They support each other and believe that ahead lies a future with more light than pain.

Shared Dreams

If you ask these children what they dream about, the answers may sound different — but the meaning is the same: victory, peace, returning home, and the chance to live without sirens, to build a future without constantly looking back at war.

There is nothing excessive in these dreams. No grand ambitions. Only the need for safety, for calm, and for the right to an ordinary childhood.

Over the past four years, the Children of Heroes Charity Fund has become a steady source of support for thousands of children — providing psychological, educational, humanitarian, and legal assistance. Access to therapists, learning opportunities, camps, legal guidance, medical support — these are concrete steps that help families endure the hardest periods of their lives.

But above all, it is the feeling that they have not been left alone with their loss. That there are adults beside them who remember, who care, and who help them move forward.

Because childhood should not end because of war. And while the struggle for the country continues, so does the struggle for these children’s right to live, to dream, and to grow.