Mick Hartley

A project for Ukrainian kids, Behind Blue Eyes gives old-style disposable cameras to children at the frontline of the Russian invasion who've seen their villages and their lives devastated.

After a week, the cameras are returned to the volunteers, who then publish them and collect rewards for the young photographers from their wishlists.

So far, more than 2,500 photos have been taken by over 1,350 children who live on the front line in liberated villages. These include 17 villages that endured the brunt of the invasion and have been transformed the most. Over 200 dreams have been fulfilled by the wishlist scheme, with hopefully many more set to come true soon….

Speaking about her experiences working on the project, Behind Blue Eyes team member Liliia Sosnytska says she was struck by how people in the region were processing their experiences. "Every child has their own trauma story, even if they don't think about it that way," she reveals.

"Little Sabrina told us about how her father was kidnapped by the invaders and tortured, how there were lots of Russian soldiers in the village, and how they captured and destroyed the village buildings. The child talked about it calmly, without any sadness, while we walked along the village of Bobrovyi Kut, holding hands and watching the sunset."…

As for the project's future, Behind Blue Eyes PM Nataliia Sosnytska says they have a lot of work ahead of them. "We want to test different educational and cultural formats of working with children," she says. "We believe creativity and support can be the key to unlocking any child's potential. Someday, we will open an educational institution where children learn to turn their boundless energy and creativity into real things.

"Nothing is better than giving children a good education and the opportunity to create because they are the country's future. We managed to see during these years of war that, despite everything, our children can show their talent under favourable conditions and with support, even after experiencing terrible pain. We must create a place that can give and multiply this experience because they deserve it."