Art therapy helps nine year old find hope for future

Laughter echoes around a basement. Paint splatters across the desks. These art classes are a world away from the gunfire and air raids that some of these children fled from just weeks ago.

The group are taking part in art therapy classes in the city of Zmiiv, organised by the Youth of Zmiiv District NGO with the support of UNICEF. Some children are local, some have been evacuated from towns and villages near Kharkiv, and some came from other cities of Ukraine.

Kyrylo, who is nine, is one of many who is relieved to have found sanctuary here.

“He can simply say to me in the middle of the day: ‘Do you remember how a torn-off hand was lying on the tank?’,” says Tetiana, Kyrylo’s mother. “The worst thing is that he won’t forget.”

Like millions around Ukraine, Tetiana and Kyrylo woke up to the sound of explosions at their home in Sumy. They decided to flee but quickly came under fire. So, for more than a month, the family lived in their cellar, unable to leave or wash, and eating only canned food.

Sometimes, a truck with a humanitarian aid arrived. Kyrylo says that the taste of bread seemed to him like “the greatest culinary miracle” at the time.

The conflict line was located just three kilometres from their house, and the family could hear the fighting day and night. The entire village was under constant shelling. When Kyrylo fell into a depression, Tetiana searched desperately for antidepressants, and eventually found a doctor who could prescribe them over the phone and an ambulance to bring them.

By the end of March, the family could not stand it anymore and decided to leave. They found a local man who agreed to evacuate the family in return for a large sum of money.

They drove through terrible landscapes, scarred by shelling. Tetiana’s only thought during the trip was how to protect Kyrylo, who was sitting in her arms, in case of danger.

Eventually, they reached Zmiiv, a small city located 30 kilometres from Kharkiv. The rockets here have stopped now and it is relatively quiet, with the exception of occasional air raid sirens.

Over a year ago, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called ‘Youth of Zmiiv District’ launched here. Its founders Nastia and Artem organized a clean-up of the river, distributed gifts to children on St. Nicholas Day and encouraged young people to take part in social activities. On 25 February, they had planned to celebrate the organisation’s anniversary. Instead, they began to organise humanitarian aid.

Since March of this year, within the framework of the project “Together. Meeting Point,” the NGO has been working with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – as well as volunteers and qualified teachers – to conduct lectures and classes for children and teenagers on art therapy, mine safety, media literacy and English.

Kyrylo attends almost every class. His mother says that the war has affected the boy’s physical and mental health. Due to the stress, his thyroid gland failed. And, for a long time, fear controlled him – he would not let his mother even go into the next room and was afraid to leave the house. However, the art therapy classes have helped a lot. Now, Kyrylo communicates with peers with similar experiences and receives psychological help under the supervision of professionals. Finally, he is becoming more and more like the young boy he once was –  cheerful and carefree.