Ukraine war chronicle by children’s eyes

But how can we capture the attention of the international community amidst the constant flow of news?

Emotions are the most powerful tool that drives action. And although this entire war is one overwhelming emotion, we needed to find something that no one could ignore. And we found it. While working on a volunteer project together with 15-year-old Oleksandr, we had the opportunity to become acquainted with his artistic talent.

The boy's drawings depicted the events of the first 30 days of the full-scale invasion. They were genuine and emotionally charged, without any falsehoods. For Sasha, drawing was a form of therapy. And through his illustrations, we saw the true chronicles of the war. The children's eyes hold the truth, and it must be shared with the world.

Communication campaign and virtual exhibition

To convey the true story of this war to the world, we launched a communication campaign and a virtual exhibition titled "Ukraine War Chronicle by Children's Eyes" on June 1st, International Children's Day.

Each illustration carried Oleksandr's personal descriptions, thoughts, emotions, and impressions of each scene. On our project's social media pages, we also shared the stories of Ukrainian children who have experienced the moral and physical impact of the "russian peace."

Unfortunately, Facebook did not appreciate our initiative and deemed Sasha's illustrations as "sensitive content," blocking our advertisements and removing our posts without prior warning.

Therefore, we had to find a solution to reach a wider audience. Taking advantage of the NFT token and digital art hype, we decided to showcase the drawings on the Opensea platform, which attracts over 24 million people worldwide every month.

Results

Oleksandr's illustrations have not gone unnoticed by Ukrainians and the media. We have received tremendous support through reposts and publications from various media outlets, including TSN, Cases, Na Chasi, Interfax, Svidomi.ua, and Highload. Ukrainian influencers, such as Jamala and Lesya Nikityuk, have shared our project on their social media platforms. Sasha's illustrations have appeared on limited edition t-shirts sold at Ukrnafta gas stations, on posters in popular Multiplex cinemas, and on banners on the OLX online marketplace. The project has also received support from Diya. Digital Education, a state online platform for digital literacy.

Today, the collection has transcended the virtual realm and is being showcased in public places in the United Kingdom, serving as a reminder that the war for life continues and children still bear witness to it.

Sasha, the author of the illustrations, has been awarded the Runnymede Civil Awards in the "Artist of the Year" category, further confirming that creativity is a powerful tool of struggle.