How to help Ukraine: Behind Blue Eyes and helping children affected by war access creative outlets (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members, 

Thank you for your continued support. We launched the “How to help Ukraine” newsletter for our members last year because we heard from you that there’s interest in getting more involved in helping Ukraine.

Each month, we send one edition of this newsletter, highlighting an organization supporting Ukraine and giving you a closer look at civil society — along with opportunities to donate or, in some cases, volunteer.

In the tenth edition of “How to Help Ukraine,” we’re proud to share with you the work of Behind Blue Eyes, a project dedicated to giving children from front-line and liberated areas creative outlets — from film photography to sound recording — so they can both discover their talents and have a chance to speak about their experiences during Russia’s war. 

Behind Blue Eyes is currently raising money for expeditions to front-line areas this summer and fall. One seven-day trip to the south or east of Ukraine costs between $8,000-18,000, depending on the exact location, the focus of the expedition, and the number of participants. This figure includes the transportation, accommodation, and meals for a team of eight to nine people, as well as all the necessary creative materials for about 100 children to participate in some way — including disposable film cameras, printed materials, gifts for the children, and photo and video production. During each expedition, Behind Blue Eyes makes sure that the children have everything they need to immerse themselves in the creative process, trying out different creative mediums and formats. For context, one disposable film camera is about $25, and you can make a donation to Behind Blue Eyes via PayPal to help cover these costs, here. Every contribution makes a difference.   

Photo taken by Bohdan Martysiuk, Lukashivka, Chernihiv Oblast, 2022. (Courtesy of Behind Blue Eyes) 

Photo taken by Tetiana Yurchenko, Lukashivka, Chernihiv Oblast, 2022. (Courtesy of Behind Blue Eyes) 

The idea for Behind Blue Eyes began in spring 2022 by Dima Zubkov and Artem Skorokhodko while the two were delivering humanitarian aid to Lukashivka, a village in Chernihiv Oblast that was occupied for about a month at the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In conversations with the locals, one of the things that stood out the most to Dima and Artem was how the children continued to view the world with sincerity and a faith in the future — despite the horrors of living through occupation. 

Along with delivering humanitarian aid, Dima and Artem also brought the children disposable film cameras, letting them photograph whatever they wanted to remember, without any supervision or intervention. Pictured here are three of the photos taken by children during this period. Dima and Artem shared the photos on social media, starting a small community that supported the children — which then grew into a mission to provide creative outlets to children from front-line and liberated areas. The goal is to let the children discover and develop their artistic talents and to give them an opportunity to speak about their lives, experiences, and dreams during the war. 

Behind Blue Eyes currently has a team of nine people — last year, the founders Dima and Artem joined the Ukrainian army. Since the project started in 2022, here’s what it has accomplished: 

Met with over 1,500 children, 650 of whom got involved in an artistic project, including film photography, sound recording, cinematography, and upcycling 

Carried out over 30 expeditions to front-line and liberated villages, giving children the materials to document their lives on film

Organized three of their Blyshchyk (“spark” in Ukrainian) creativity festivals in front-line villages, hosting film workshops and showcasing the children’s artwork 

Created a podcast with a reach of over 2 million listeners, interviewing children about their everyday experiences and their dreams. The podcast is only available in Ukrainian, but the project’s YouTube channel also features some videos with English subtitles, like this documentary showing the behind-the-scenes challenges of organizing a children’s festival in a front-line village. 

Behind Blue Eyes aims to start a new chapter in 2026: turning the week-long expeditions into a long-term educational program, aimed at nurturing creativity and giving children who have experienced war a way to process their reality and build resilience. 

Photo taken by Valentyna Prokhorenko, Lukashivka, Chernihiv Oblast, 2022. (Courtesy of Behind Blue Eyes)

You can help Behind Blue Eyes by making a donation to help fund their expeditions this summer and fall. Each trip to the front-line costs between $8,000-18,000, and helps the project bring creative materials to children who have experienced war, so that they can express themselves through art and have space to speak about their lives during war. Behind Blue Eyes works with local volunteer organizations and schools, ensuring they visit villages where their presence will have the biggest impact. You can make a contribution via PayPal here or find the information to make a direct bank transfer here. 

You can also help the project by following their Instagram page here or by purchasing their merchandise here. All merch from Behind Blue Eyes is designed entirely in-house and produced by local manufacturers in Ukraine. 

Finally, Behind Blue Eyes is also working on displaying the children’s photography and videography in exhibitions abroad. If you would like to help the project by sharing any contacts or introducing them to those who might be interested in featuring the children’s work, you can email Olha from Behind Blue Eyes directly at o.pushkaruk@theblueyedproject.com.   

Thank you for your support — and we hope you find these letters highlighting organizations like Behind Blue Eyes useful. If you have any questions or feedback about our newsletter, please feel free to respond directly to this email or reach out via email at a.chernova@kyivindependent.com and let us know what you think of this membership benefit.