Schoolgirl from Zakarpattia launches fundraiser for Superhumans Center while setting tongue-twister record
Kira Kasynets recites the longest tongue twister on the stage of "Ukraine's Got Talent." Photo source: family archive
Eleven-year-old Kira Kasynets from Zakarpattia set a Ukrainian record three years ago and has now set a world record: she recited a 1,328-word tongue twister from memory in 7 minutes and 35 seconds.
She decided to turn her latest achievement into a fundraiser for Superhumans Center, Rubryka reports.
Superhumans Center, a modern war trauma center serving people across Ukraine, provides free prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, physical and psychological rehabilitation, and support for returning to an active life. The center receives no government funding and relies on charitable donations. Since opening, Superhumans has produced more than 3,600 prostheses and performed nearly 3,000 operations.
Major charitable foundations, businesses, and international donors support Superhumans, but helping does not require deep pockets. Anyone can support people wounded in the war: small donations, charitable initiatives, and even personal talents can make a difference.
That is exactly how 11-year-old Kira Kasynets from Zakarpattia decided to use her talent. She has a gift for recitation. Three years ago, she set a Ukrainian record, and now she has set a world record by reciting a 1,328-word tongue twister from memory in 7 minutes and 35 seconds. She has turned that latest achievement into a fundraiser.
Kira Kasynets with her world record certificate. Photo source: family archive
Kira set the record on the television show "Ukraine's Got Talent," reciting a tongue twister containing 1,328 words and 2,780 syllables from memory. Her performance lasted 7 minutes and 35 seconds. She also received confirmation from the National Register of Records of Ukraine of a new world record: "The longest tongue twister among Slavic languages recited from memory by a child in Ukrainian."
"I want to do something, too"
The girl decided to turn her latest record into a fundraiser for Superhumans. Photo source: family archive
"I can't do what our soldiers do. But I can do what I'm good at. If my words can help raise money for those who defend us or have suffered because of the war, I want them to be more than just words," Kira says of her decision.
Her mother, Viktoriia Bokach, says Kira's previous fundraiser supported Ukraine's armed forces: she encouraged people to donate toward a DJI Mavic 3 FMC drone, and the target was reached in just a few days. This year, however, she wanted to help people whose lives the war had already changed forever.
They chose Superhumans because its work supports real people — service members and civilians who have suffered severe injuries, lost limbs, and are undergoing prosthetic fitting and the long process of physical and psychological recovery.
"Kira is setting a world record by pushing beyond her own limits. The people Superhumans helps overcome limits every day that they never chose. That is why we wanted Kira's record to be about more than how far she could go on her own. We wanted it to be about how far we can help someone go together. A prosthesis is only one part of a much longer journey. People need to believe again that life does not end after an injury," Viktoriia Bokoch explains.
You can support Kira Kasynets's new fundraiser here:
Goal: 500,000 hryvnias.
A talent to share
Kira Kasynets with her mother and a representative of the National Register of Records of Ukraine. Photo source: family archive
Kira's mother says she wishes she could give her daughter back a childhood filled only with thoughts of songs, friends, school, dresses, the stage, and little dreams — without words such as "front line," "injury," "prosthesis," or "rehabilitation." Yet the war has inevitably affected every child. We cannot change the reality in which they are growing up. But we can try to ensure they associate that reality with more than horror.
"I want Kira to carry compassion rather than fear. A desire to act rather than a sense of helplessness. Humanity rather than indifference," Viktoriia Bokoch says.
Her mother has noticed that as Kira grows up, her understanding of her talent is maturing too. Previously, she wondered whether she could set a record. Now she also thinks about what comes afterward — who might benefit from her achievement: "She is beginning to understand that talent is not just something that opens doors for you. It is also something you can share."
"I want to dream big. I want to sing, perform, and grow. But I want there to be room in my life for more than just my own dreams," Kira says. "If I can help someone through my singing, my words, or my record, I want to do it. Because I think a real victory is one that makes life better for someone besides yourself!"
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