A year of war: Ukrainian children speak out

It’s an energy that seems untouched, defying even the war that lies nearby. Children dancing and remembering the night their country changed. “I didn’t understand what was going on. I woke up, my mother and my grandmother were packing. I thought we were going on vacation, in fact it was war”, says a child. A year later, Carolina and Amelia, 6 and 5 years old, tell in their own words the daily air alerts. “Today I went to the hallway of my house again. There was an alarm”said one of the two girls. “We have everything we need. We sleep in the cellar, we have preserves and compotes”adds another.

keep a balance

On the lower floor is the gymnastics class. Children train their bodies for flexibility. But how are they, in their hearts? “It’s going average. Because, when there are bombs, I’m scared”, recognizes a child. The alerts, the shots, they all talk about it. It is important to speak, and to understand these feelings which invade them. “I feel so sad for those who lost their homes, for those who went abroad. And then, those who died”, says another. You have to try to keep a balance, when the war has stolen a year of their life. Teenagers, children, hugged by their parents.