[ti:Ukrainian Child War Diaries Presented in Netherlands]
[al:As It Is]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2023-08-26]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]An exhibition of war stories and artwork from children in Ukraine recently opened in the Netherlands.
[00:10.60]The event is being held in Amsterdam, where Anne Frank wrote her famous World War II diaries as she hid her family from Nazi occupiers.
[00:25.28]The exhibition, called "War Diaries," shows the experiences of children caught in the war in Ukraine. 
[00:35.72]The conflict began when Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022.
[00:44.35]Khrystyna Khranovska developed the idea for the show. 
[00:50.41]She said it is meant to describe the pains of war "through the children's eyes." 
[00:57.99]Khranovska added, "It strikes into the very heart of every adult to be aware of the suffering and grief that the Russian war has brought our children."
[01:11.85]The exhibition includes notes like those written by Anne Frank in the Amsterdam home where she hid with her family from the Nazis during World War II.
[01:26.52]The show shares the stories Ukrainian children have faced during the war, as told in writings, photos and video.
[01:38.58]Among those taking part was Mykola Kostenko. 
[01:44.15]The boy, who is now 15, spent 21 days surrounded by Russian forces in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
[01:56.96]Kostenko created drawings with pen and paper torn from notebooks.
[02:03.44]One of them showed the small basement where he and his family sheltered from Russian forces before they fled the city.
[02:14.15]Kostenko told the Associated Press, "I put my soul into all of these pictures because this is what I lived through in Mariupol. What I saw, what I heard. So, this is my experience, and this is my hope."
[02:35.33]Katya Taylor is a curator for the exhibition, meaning she helps collect the materials included in the show.
[02:45.77]She said she thinks the diaries and artwork are useful tools for helping the children deal with the harmful effects of war.
[02:58.36]Kostenko said drawing and painting helped calm him and provided a healing effect. 
[03:06.85]"It also was an instrument to save the emotions that I lived through. For me to remember them in the future because it's important," he added.
[03:20.50]Ukrainian officials have estimated that more than 500 children have been killed during the war.
[03:29.72]In addition, the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, estimates about 1.5 million Ukrainian children are at risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems.
[03:51.51]The youngest diarist was 10-year-old Yehor Kravtsov, who also lived in Mariupol.
[04:00.59]In writing appearing next to the diary, he describes his dream of becoming a builder. 
[04:08.83]But he said his experience living through the war changed his mind.
[04:15.55]Kravtsov wrote, "When we got out from the basement during the occupation ... I was very hungry, I decided to become a chef to feed the whole world."
[04:29.51]I'm Bryan Lynn.