«Colors that Bring Life Back» in Tallinn: an exhibition by Children of Heroes beneficiaries within the «Yellow and Blue Butterflies» initiative

On 20 November, Tallinna Muusika- ja Balletikool MUBA in Tallinn hosted the international event «Yellow and Blue Butterflies», dedicated to Ukrainian children who have suffered from the war and were unlawfully taken from Ukraine. As part of this initiative, the Children of Heroes Charity Fund held its own exhibition of children’s drawings, «Colors that Bring Life Back», introducing guests to artworks created by children supported by the Fund who have lost one or both parents due to the war.

The war has taken away loved ones, friends, and a sense of safety from many Ukrainian children. This is exactly what the «Yellow and Blue Butterflies» international initiative, organized in Tallinn by the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia to mark Universal Children’s Day and the World Children’s Day of the Rights of the Child, sought to highlight. Its message is both simple and deeply painful: every child has the right to return home.

The event took place with the support and personal presence of the First Lady of Estonia, Sirje Karis. Among those who came to support the initiative and Ukrainian children were Minister of Defence of Estonia Hanno Pevkur, Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia Volodymyr Boechko, Head of the State Film Agency of Ukraine (Derzhkino) Andriy Osypov, Director of PFF | Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tiina Lokk. Also, there were representatives of diplomatic missions, government officials, members of parliament, civil society organizations from Ukraine and Estonia, cultural figures, and journalists.

In her remarks, the First Lady of Estonia stressed that children and their well-being have always been at the heart of Estonia’s support for Ukraine. She noted that Estonia has been elected for a second time to the UN Human Rights Council for 2026–2028 and has made the promotion and protection of children’s rights one of its key priorities: standing up for the rights of those who cannot defend themselves is both a responsibility and a privilege. That is why Estonia supports children and families in Ukraine and works to ensure that Ukrainian children deported to Russia can return home. She concluded her speech by reminding everyone that children show us: even in the darkest times, hope does not disappear.

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, also addressed the participants. He underlined that Russia’s war against Ukraine robs children of their homes, parents, and sense of safety, and that protecting children’s rights and restoring a normal childhood must remain a priority for the entire international community.

«Colors that Bring Life Back»: children’s voices through art

At the heart of the event was the children’s art exhibition «Colors that Bring Life Back», organized with the support of the Children of Heroes Charity Fund in partnership with the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia.

For many children supported by the Fund, drawing and art therapy have become a way to live through loss, process traumatic experiences, and regain at least some sense of safety.

The exhibition in Tallinn invited visitors to see the war through children’s eyes. Each drawing tells the story of a child who has lost what is most precious, yet still chooses to believe in kindness, love, and peace. It is an exhibition about memory and hope, about children’s pain and their resilience. It reminds us, as adults, that it is our responsibility to protect childhood and help children bring the «colors of life» back.

First Lady Sirje Karis paid particular attention to the exhibition, as the Fund’s team presented to her the mission of the Children of Heroes Charity Fund and the stories of children who lost their parents because of the war. Mrs. Karis emphasized the importance of supporting children who have gone through traumatic experiences and noted that such initiatives have a deep and long-lasting impact.

Letters to children and butterflies of hope

At the end of the event, the organizers invited everyone to write a letter to a Ukrainian child who had been unlawfully deported to Russia and is being forcibly kept there, prevented from returning home. Each of these messages of support will be transformed into a symbolic yellow and blue butterfly.

The «Yellow and Blue Butterflies» initiative was made possible thanks to the cooperation of many partners: the State Film Agency of Ukraine (Derzhkino), FRESH PRODUCTION GROUP, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia, the Ukrainian Film Commissions Association, the Union of Young Film Critics of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Project Agency, and the Children of Heroes Charity Fund.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who took part in the event in Tallinn, who looked into children’s eyes through their drawings, listened to their stories, and wrote letters of support. Together with the support of the Estonian state and the international community, we will do everything possible so that every Ukrainian child who has experienced deportation and loss can return home and once again feel that their life is full of color.