“The Armed Forces came in, and we began to breathe freely.” The story of a schoolgirl from Chuguyev who helps children and the Armed Forces

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Daryna Kostina is an 11th grade student, lives in Kamiania Yaruza near Chuguyev (Kharkiv region) and actively volunteers.

During the full-scale invasion, Darina organized a lot of aid to the military, because her father is a military man.

The girl made trench candles, participated in various gatherings, and also organized classes for children while schools were closed.

Daryna talks about her experience helping children and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the special project of the UP “Generation of Victory”, dedicated to children from the de-occupied territories.

The project was initiated by the GoGlobal educational foundation, which generates, pilots and scales projects for teachers, schoolchildren and young people.

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War came to Chuguiv on the morning of February 24.

The Chuguyiv district has a border with Russia, so columns of armored vehicles and tanks immediately entered the city from different directions. The undermining of the bridges was able to stop the advance of the enemy, but part of the district was under occupation.

The city has the largest concentration of military units, so explosions and active military operations began in Chuguyev immediately.

Daryna woke up on February 24 from explosions and her father’s words, “The war has begun.” The girl woke up her sister, and together they ran to the basement.

Her father went to the military unit almost immediately, and the next time Darina saw him was in July.

Daryna Kostina is an 11th grade student. Photo: Sasha Maslov

Life under occupation

“The occupation began immediately, – recalls Daryna. – It was scary, unpleasant, and I was also very worried about my father. My sister and I hardly went outside because it was dangerous. There were big problems with food and water in the city. What struck me was that many townspeople decided to stay. Of course, many people left too, they were helped by volunteers.”

At first, Daryna’s family also moved to a nearby village – together with four other families, they lived in a friend’s house.

“It was especially difficult for me to be separated from my father – after all, we had never been separated for so long! It was scary during the “arrivals”, I missed his presence and the feeling of protection”– adds the girl.

Deoccupation

“In the spring, we began to live – that’s how I perceive it. The Armed Forces entered, liberated our territory, and we began to breathe freely, – shares Daryna. – I have never felt such joy from an ordinary walk: it turns out that you can just go out for a walk and not worry that you will be killed or taken somewhere.”

Another important event for the girl “after the occupation” is the children’s parliament in Chuguyev, which she joined in the fall of 2022.

Daryna talks about her volunteer activities as follows:

“At first, our initiative group met online, we came up with ideas, discussed everything, shared thoughts, – says Daryna. – Then we started shooting videos, because we wanted to show ourselves and inspire others! Our first video was for Armed Forces Day, we expressed our wishes and kind words to the military. This video gathered a lot of views, which led us to the idea of ​​​​making such content more useful and embedding effective information in it.”

So the youth came up with a support project – for children from children. They created a series of videos for children on the topic “how to hold on when it’s hard?”.

“There were simple tips: what to do when you are scared, or when the air defense is working, how to calm yourself down and hold hands, etc.

It was also important for me to support the little ones offline. That’s why my team and I started holding various holidays for small children: we gathered them together, told stories, entertained them… We created a “peaceful” life for them!” – adds the girl.

About inspiration

“My focus of attention was always on the children, I wanted to protect the little ones, create for them a feeling of a “normal” life. I also consider my volunteer work as helping my father. I think that this is how I support him in the fight against invaders.” – says the schoolgirl.

Daryna and her friends are absolutely sure of Ukraine’s victory and are doing a lot for it.

“We are ready to make efforts for our nation to prosper” – says Daryna.

The #ПоколенияПеремогы project was created in video, photo and text format. Famous photographer Sasha Maslov worked on photo stories of teenagers, whose works are regularly published by publications such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Newyorker, Guardian, Wall Street Journal Magazine and others. His lens captured not only touching moments, but also the power that pulsates in the heart of every child talent

Text: Yana Altukhova

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