An orphanage in a small village in the Kyiv region, liberated from occupation. Nice, friendly teachers, a wonderful Headmistress, colorful classrooms, lots of toys and 60 children, most of whom are not yet 3 years old. In the buildings next door, there is space being prepared for 60 more… There is also a container shelter. This is the only place where there is a crib for a child, in other rooms there are none – children are never left alone, but such a need may arise in the event of a sudden evacuation. Many children are here because of the ongoing war, because their parents: are dead; are internally displaced and/or have no job, no home, no prospects to provide the child with what he or she needs; Mentally and emotionally, they can’t cope with the situation (the war and everything that comes with it) and they no longer function as they did before.
The trip to the Children’s Home had not been planned by me beforehand, so this time I brought only some clothes, a carton of bananas and promised to come back. The meeting was nice and in a friendly atmoshere, and the children were well-kept, calm and smiling, but taking into account the circumstances: the ongoing war with all its consequences and what happened during the occupation, I will end this post with the words of Olga Tokarczuk, because I do not find my own: “If it were possible to look at the world without any protection, honestly and bravely – our hearts would break.”
