Letters and calls to St Nicholas: stories and dreams of Ukrainian children during the war at the Museum of Civilian Voices of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

The new collection of the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation contains stories of children who wrote and called the fairy-tale wizard as participants in the "Letter to St Nicholas" and "Call to St Nicholas" contests held as part of the Rinat Akhmetov for Children New Year's campaign. In December 2023, we received a huge number of letters and calls - 9.5 thousand and 2 thousand, respectively.

Read and listen to children's stories in the new collection on the Museum's website: https://bit.ly/47pdpYj

Children's feelings are reflected in sincere, touching stories. The young authors talked not only about the losses and difficulties of the war but also about their dreams, about Ukraine's victory and peace. About a world where childhood will be carefree, as it should be. 

"Because of the war, we lost our jobs, apartment, and all our property. Frequent shelling of the city forced us to leave our hometown. But we believe everything will be fine, and we wish everyone peace and happiness," said Sofiia from Bakhmut.

"I would ask St Nicholas to give our guys superpowers and defeat the enemy as soon as possible!" Anastasiia from Kherson wrote.

Despite living amidst the uncertainty and risks of wartime, they impress with their strength of spirit and resilience, inspiring us to fight for their happy future.

"I dream of a speedy Victory! May everyone be alive and healthy and never face the war again," said Kateryna from Melitopol.

"I really want all this horror to end. I want the war to end so I can go to school," said Illia from Ochakiv.

These and other stories are a treasure that the Museum of Civilian Voices has carefully preserved. Some of the stories received as part of the competitions have been included in our collection. The Rinat Akhmetov for Children New Year's campaign, a tradition of kindness and help that has been going on for more than 20 years, has already reached more than 1.2 million children from all over Ukraine.

We thank everyone who entrusted St Nicholas with their stories. May the dreams of every Ukrainian child come true.

Tell your story about the war on the Museum's portal: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/ or on the free hotline 0 (800) 509 001.