People can donate at the Easter fair in Prague while buying children's drawings from Ukraine

Богдан Петришин

The charity Easter Fair is taking place in the Czech capital, Prague, from April 18 to 24. The Ukrainian BGV Charity Fund, in cooperation with Czech volunteers, organized a fundraising point for children affected by the war. The peculiarity of the initiative is in children's drawings, which are offered to visitors to see the war through the eyes of the youngest Ukrainians.

"Make a charitable contribution. Support the children of Ukraine!" These are the words of volunteers of the Ukrainian charitable foundation of caring people in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Volunteers collected 1,500 children's drawings from Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions. The children's works were collected and delivered to Prague in just a few days. One such drawing is given to a supporter, a person who donates money to support children from Ukraine at the fair.

This action is a joint initiative of the Czech Charitable Foundation Children of Ukraine and the Ukrainian charity organization BGV Charity Fund. Part of the funds raised will go to refugee children from Ukraine temporarily living in the Czech Republic, and part will be donated to the BGV Partner Charity Fund for the purchase and delivery of food, medicine, and hygiene products to children in Ukraine in need.

Both Czech and Ukrainian volunteers are volunteering for the initiative.

"For children, war is very difficult and painful, because the child's psyche is especially vulnerable," said Daria Butkevych, organizer of the event from the Ukrainian foundation. "That's why from the first days of the war, I clearly understood that I wanted to help the children of Ukraine. Together with my father Hennadii Butkevych's BGV Charity Fund and our partners, the Czech Foundation Children of Ukraine, we not only collect charitable donations but also give Europeans a piece of warmth and gratitude from Ukrainian children in the form of drawings. This is almost 1,500 works from all over Ukraine. Among the drawings is the work of Nastia, a girl from Bucha. Despite all the horrors of our country, Nastia's picture is filled with steadfastness, courage, and faith in victory. And we want Europe to see Ukrainian children this way."

The daughter of Hennadii Butkevych, the founder of the investment company BGV Group Management and the charity BGV Charity Fund, Daria (middle), also volunteers. On the right is Nadia Stechyshyna, director of the BGV Charity Fund.

The picture of the girl Nastia from Bucha is one of those presented at the initiative

Both local and tourists from other parts of Europe and Asia donated to the Children of Ukraine. Nadia Stechyshyna, head of the BGV Charity Fund, says that among the people who donated to help Ukrainian children, there were small people:

"For example, a family of Czechs with children came to our stand. And in the Czech Republic, there is a story that even small children have their own pocket money. So these two young children decided that they also wanted to join the help. They chose the drawings themselves, the ones they liked, and donated not their parents' money, but their own pocket money. These children could spend their money on almost anything. But they decided to help, saw the value in the drawing of a child from Ukraine, and were willing to spend their pocket money on it. That's the story."

You can also get one of the patriotic Easter cards created by Ukrainian artist Anastasia Zafiiovska in exchange for help.

Postcards with the cities of Kyiv, Izium, Trostianets, and Kramatorsk were developed especially for this campaign in the Czech Republic to raise funds for the We Believe project (we-believe.win).

1 / 5

During the first day of the action on April 18, volunteers have already managed to raise 9,900 Czech korunas, 140 euros, 100 dollars, and 40 Swiss francs. It is more than 22 thousand hryvnias. And these are only cash donations. Most donors use non-cash methods of transferring funds; they will be counted after the end of the campaign.

The organizers of the action note that more than 190 children have died in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. More than 300 others were injured. These are the figures provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine; these are the children who were counted. In fact, given some Ukrainian cities are still occupied, the data from them is currently impossible to obtain. In particular, with the atrocities of the russian army in Mariupol, the numbers may be much higher.

According to UNICEF, another 4.3 million Ukrainian children have become refugees. They were forced to leave their homes, often their relatives, familiar with life due to russia's armed aggression. According to the UN, among very young children aged 6 to 23 months, 450,000 children need additional food.

It's more than just numbers. Behind each unit is a small life that just needs help right now. That is why two charitable foundations decided to dedicate a special event at the Easter Charity Fair in Prague to helping children. Those who need it the most now.

To make a charity transfer, simply scan the QR code on the back of the Easter card or information brochure; it leads to the accounts of the Czech Foundation Children of Ukraine.

You can also send your charitable donation to the humanitarian needs of Ukrainians online; all the necessary details are at the link on the BGV Charity Fund website.