“The only thing you can’t get used to is thirst”: children write memoirs about the beginning of the war

Ukrainian children wrote dozens of letters about life during the war. Testimonies of the smallest eyewitnesses are collected within the framework of the campaign “Do you hear?”, which was organized by the “Voices of Children” charitable foundation.

“The campaign “Do you hear?” calls on adults to listen to children when they talk about the war, to give them space to express themselves. After all, it is much easier for children to go through the difficult experience that war brings“, the organizers note.

Psychologists of the foundation emphasize that you should not be afraid when a child talks about the war. If necessary, a specialist can be consulted to help her live through the experience of war and integrate it into her life.

Letters can be sent to e-mail: [email protected].

Zakhar from Mariupol

A 13-year-old boy said that the constant feeling of thirst was worse than the explosions.

“In order not to freeze, we constantly walked in outerwear and even slept in it. We cooked food on a fire, right next to the entrance, if there were no shelling. We gradually got used to living without the Internet, communication, light, the only thing to get used to you can’t – I’m thirsty.

Even the explosions were not as frightening as the feeling of dryness and tightness in the mouth. A sip of water was perhaps the most welcome of all. Of course, at first we had some water supplies, but they quickly ran out. Then the boiler and tank went into operation. And then the rain saved us. I have never pleased him so much as I didand”, he wrote.

The boy added that his family was lucky to leave the besieged Mariupol more than a year ago. And now he again has the opportunity to make himself tea without leaving home. And also – to wash things in the washing machine and take a bath in the bathroom.

Mykhailo from Kherson

8-year-old Mykhailo likes to build Lego, ride a bike, and fish with his dad. But because of the war, he was forced to leave his native home.

“In my Kherson region there are 2 seas, a desert, a pine forest, a pink lake, many estuaries, the most delicious watermelons, corn, tomatoes, cherries and strawberries. Our region is agrarian. There is also the Dnipro River, where there are many different fish.

When peace comes and the war ends, I will return home. I invite everyone to my homeland to eat the most delicious watermelons“, Mykhaylyk writes.

Mykhailo’s drawing

Polina from Luhansk region

10-year-old Polina was also forced to move. In her letter about the war, she fondly recalls how she came to her grandmother’s for the summer and had fun with her friend.

“I haven’t seen her for two years. Because I saw her only in the summer anyway, and now I don’t see her at all. That makes it even sadder“, the girl writes.

And Polina notes that she will never be able to talk to some people again.

“I moved from the Luhansk region, the city of Girsky, where I had many friends. Today I actively communicate with some, and with some I will never communicate. Namely with my friend Vlad. He and his mother were killed by the occupiers. When I remember it, I feel heavy and very sad“, she adds.

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