Children in Ukraine continue to count cost of war
Eleven-year-old Nika gazes up in awe at the Christmas tree in her city of Kharkiv, Ukraine. “It is so beautiful,” she says. “But so sad.” Nika is heading down to a subway station platform, as the air raid alarm sounds over Kharkiv for the second time that day. She is almost used to the constant threat of shelling after nearly two years of war. But…, “I can’t even find words to describe it” , Nika often communicates with her pen pal from America, sharing news and interests with her. She tries not to talk about the war. “I have seen and heard what a war is,” she says. “But it is hard to explain it to anyone who has not experienced it. It seems to me this is so unpleasant that I can’t even find words to describe it. Everything is closed…, “My mom is always with us and supports us”, When missiles targeted Kharkiv during the winter of 2022, Nika’s parents took her and her six-year-old sister Anita to live with relatives in the city of Chuhuiv. Hundreds of toys, next to the Monument, dedicated to children, that died because of the war in Kharkivska region @UNICEF/Nika Ніка стоїть у центрі міста, біля ракети, що стирчить із…, “Our life has changed a lot since the war started”, Over time, the family noticed that Nika, who is usually active and cheerful, became gloomy and withdrawn. However, a psychologist at the local Spilno Child Spot, a humanitarian hub run by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), helped her to find joy again and cope with stress. Ніка (11) у своїй кімнаті, сидить у кріслі UNICEF “I search the…