Three Ukrainian girls receive Children’s Peace Prize for their app for refugees

Ukrainian teenagers Sofia Tereshchenko, Anastasia Feskovа, and Anastasia Demchenko have been awarded the International Children's Prize for developing apps to assist young refugees. 

Rubryka reports the achievement, citing the KidsRights Foundation, an international organization dedicated to helping and protecting children.

What's the problem?

As of the end of 2022, 43.3 million children worldwide had been displaced due to conflicts and violence, constituting 40% of all forcibly displaced people.

Ukrainians Sofia Tereshchenko, Anastasia Feskovа, and Anastasia Demchenko collaborated on a mobile app project when their home country faced Russia's invasion in 2022.

At the time, these girls, aged only 16 and 17, were genuinely shocked by stories of other children forced to cross borders with different countries and become refugees without reliable parental support.

What's the solution?

They immediately shifted the focus of their mobile app project to create a solution that would support refugee children in need.

Facing challenging circumstances, the girls had to flee Ukraine to the USA, the UK, and Japan, where they successfully developed two apps that are now operational.

For their efforts in developing these refugee assistance apps, the Ukrainian girls received the International Children's Prize.

"Currently, nearly 10 million unaccompanied child refugees are trying to find safety. The amazing initiative of the young Ukrainian International Children's Peace Prize winners provides an essential need, but it also exposes an embarrassing problem and urges governments to protect child refugees around the world," said Marc Dullaert, the founder and chair of KidsRights Foundation.

How does it work?

The first app, "Refee," is designed for children aged 4 to 11. It helps them find all the necessary information when they arrive in a new country, including initial steps and communication tips to access basic needs such as safety, food, and shelter.

The second app, "SVITY," targets people aged 16 and above trying to integrate into their new country, fostering communication between refugee children and children from host communities.

Both programs are available for download on the App Store.

The KidsRights expert committee selected Sofia, Anastasia, and Anastasia as winners among 140 young nominees for their innovative work from 35 countries worldwide.

"The International Children's Peace Prize shows that the voices of refugee children will be heard worldwide, giving us all more strength to fight for our rights and safety in the face of danger," said Anastasia, Sofia, and Anastasia upon receiving the prestigious award.

Benyam Mezmur, a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the expert committee of the International Children's Peace Prize, announced the winners from the UN headquarters in New York.

By winning the award, the Ukrainian teenagers gained an international platform to share their message and continue inspiring an audience of billions worldwide. Last year, the winner's message reached 2.2 billion people.

Anastasia, Sofia, and Anastasia received an education grant, and the project fund received €100,000. Half of the project fund will go toward the winner's topic, and the other half will be invested by KidsRights in projects of other young changemakers advocating for children's rights.

What do we know about the International Children's Peace Prize?

The prestigious International Children's Peace Prize was initiated in 2005 during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. Since then, the prize has been awarded annually by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The International Children's Peace Prize, the most important youth award worldwide, is an initiative of the international organization KidsRights, dedicated to protecting children's rights.

The Iprize highlights outstanding achievements of youth bravely advocating for children's rights worldwide. Previous winners include Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg.

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