Children of Heroes tell their stories at the exhibition “War Diaries: Unheard Voices of Ukrainian Children” in Amsterdam

The exhibition presents the stories of children who have been witness to the war and documented their memories. Among them are 8 stories by the kids of the Children of Heroes Foundation. These are extracts from their diaries, correspondence with their deceased parents, drawings, audio recordings, etc.

In particular, the exhibition includes the diary of one of our beneficiaries, Arina Pervunina, which was read out by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister during his speech at the UN General Assembly on 18 July this year.

Artem Skrypchenko, another participant in the exhibition and a beneficiary of the Foundation, expressed his pain in drawings. A rocket hit their house in the Donetsk region; his mother and siblings were saved, but sadly his father was killed. He burned to death under the rubble in front of the family. The house, car and all their belongings were also destroyed in the fire.

Oleksandr Karasevych, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands

14-year-old Maria Zaitseva, also a beneficiary of the Children of Heroes Foundation, lost her father at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. He was trying to leave Irpin when the occupiers shot the car almost in front of Maria. Excerpts from her notes during the war are presented in the exhibition.

The exhibition was visited by the ambassadors of Ukraine, the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan and Lithuania, as well as representatives of the embassies of Croatia and Kazakhstan. Darya Dyka, Head of Communications for the Children of Heroes Charitable Foundation, personally visited the exhibition to speak about the tragedy that has befallen Ukrainian children and the importance of supporting them:

“Today, almost 6,000 children who have lost their parents in the war are under the Foundation’s care. By the end of the year it could be 11,000. And within 5 years – 25 thousand. Behind each number is a story, a life and a lot of heartache. So all these children need help,” says Daria Dyka.

Daria Dikaya, Head of Communications at “Children of Heroes” Charity Fund

The world needs to remember that there is a war going on and that Ukrainian children are suffering and dying because of Russian aggression. For thousands of children affected by the war, this exhibition is an opportunity to tell the world about the traumatic experiences they have gone through. A chance to be seen and heard.

The exhibition will run until 24 September at Amsterdam City Hall (Amster, 1). It is open to the public. Come and hear the voices of the Ukrainian children and learn the stories of the Children of Heroes!

We are grateful to the organisers: Khrystyna Khranovska and the team of the NGO Port of Culture for giving the Children of Heroes the opportunity to be heard. We also thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.