Art that heals

In the difficult times of the war, it is very important to leave space for children’s dreams, light and hope. It is with this goal that the international project “Window to Peace” is being implemented. At the initiative of the founder of the “United People of the Planet” foundation, Israeli artist Zoe Sever and the cultural attaché of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, Regina Shafir, children transform the gray walls of bomb shelters into bright fairy-tale worlds.

— “The “Window to Peace” project is not about travel, but about hope and the dream of a peaceful life. Therefore, before I start drawing, I always ask children what they would like to see in a gray, uncomfortable room. If you could open a window to your imagination, what would be behind that window? Children’s minds immediately have a variety of ideas – from fairy-tale animals, cartoon characters to beautiful corners of nature – flowers and plants, mountains, lakes, they also want to draw members of their families – mom and dad, grandma, grandpa, pets – cats and dogs. Having discussed their vision with the children, we together begin to transfer fantasies to the walls. Each drawing is a ray of goodness, faith and inner strength that unites adults and children in a common desire for peace. Creating an artistic space through art, transforming cold walls into the kingdom of a fairy tale, dreams, fantasies – this is art therapy, which helps to find light and joy in seemingly unbearable conditions, no worse than “medical therapy”, emphasizes Zoya Sever.

This project began in May 2024 with the painting of a bomb shelter in one of the Kyiv lyceums and has already covered a number of hospitals and schools in different cities of Ukraine. And this became possible thanks to the sponsorship support provided by organizations and citizens of Israel, Spain and Ukraine.

In Odesa, the work lasted four days, from July 14 to 17. To implement the idea, a place was chosen where there are always many children – the pediatric department of the ONMedU Multidisciplinary Medical Center. The little patients who are treated here, their friends, among whom are many children of doctors, doctors, university teachers, together with the artist and her partner, psychotherapist, volunteer from Latvia Irena Holuba, created a new interesting atmosphere in the shelter, which can accommodate up to a hundred children. This time, the creation of the mural was supported by the Israeli Friends of Ukraine Foundation, headed by philanthropist and public figure Leonid Nevzlin.

—This project is our small contribution to supporting Ukraine. We in Israel, like no one else, know how important it is to maintain mental health, especially children, during bombings. Today, a serious discussion is underway in Israel about the organization of shelters and how it should work. There are no ideal answers, but our countries can and should jointly seek answers to these questions, because both live in a war and are subjected to regular missile strikes, — says Leonid Nevzlin.

On July 17, a presentation of the “Window to Peace” project was held at ONMedU, at which young artists, in the presence of their parents, medical staff of the clinic and university teachers, like real artists, signed each work. First Vice-Rector of ONMedU, Professor Valeria Marichereda, thanked the young participants and initiators of the project for implementing the wonderful idea of transforming an ordinary shelter into a place where children will be cozy, comfortable and not at all afraid during air raids. She presented the young artists with Certificates from ONMedU and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, and the artist Zoya Sever, psychotherapist and volunteer Irena Holuba, and founder-director of the NGO “Israeli Friends of Ukraine” Anna Zharova received Gratitude from the rector of ONMedU, academician Valerii Zaporozhan: “For your sensual artistic vision and creation of the painting of the pediatric ward shelter. Your work has become a symbol of warmth, hope, and beauty in the medical space, giving children and adults a sense of security, joy, and trust even in the most difficult times.”

For her part, Zoya Sever expressed gratitude to the university leadership for the warm welcome and for the opportunity to implement her plans. She is delighted with Odesa, which she managed to see thanks to the institution’s employees.

The “Window to the World” project reminds us: even in the darkest times, each of us needs light. And its source is in childlike sincerity, colors, and support for each other.