Mahi for Ukraine received hundreds of submissions to put in the book.
Mahi for Ukraine received hundreds of submissions to put in the book.
A new book featuring messages of support from Kiwi kids has been gifted to hundreds of Ukrainians who have arrived here since the March 2022 Russian invasion.
Aroha for Ukraine was given to Ukrainians who have been able to use the Government’s Ukrainian special visa to join their families already living in Aotearoa.
It features everything from children’s drawings to support messages - and even Ukrainian translations of Kiwi sayings.
The organisation that published the book is called Mahi for Ukraine - a volunteer group supporting Ukrainians who have fled the war with things like employment support and health checkups, while also lobbying the Government to increase support for those displaced from the conflict.
Spokeswoman Kate Turska thought a book filled with welcoming messages would make life a little easier for Ukrainian children who would be coming to a place of uncertainty while still traumatised by the war.
Those making submissions were encouraged to make sure incoming Ukranians felt welcome and safe in a new country.
“We thought wouldn’t it be a great idea to reach out to Kiwi kids and ask them to provide letters, drawings and generally just send us some aroha.”
The organisation said New Zealand author David Riley gave them the idea for the book.
Riley told the Herald the idea came from thinking about what it must be like for children to have to flee their homes and go to a place far across the world they might know very little of.
“How tough that would be and what would make it a little easier to bear might be warm, loving, encouraging messages of welcome from children in that new place.”
Turska said they received thousands of submissions of art, poetry, and photos, with messages of hope.
“I have four boxes’ worth of letters and countless email messages,” she said.
“We assigned volunteers a few hundred per person and it took us several weeks to sift through them all.
“It ranges from fully extensive drawings to young kids drawing their best making little drawings,” she said, “while we couldn’t publish all of them, we really appreciate all of the support.”
One submission stressed the importance of Hokey Pokey icecream in New Zealand.
Volunteers wanted to get a book into the hands of the 363 Ukrainians who utilised the Ukranian special visa and remain in the country.
Khrystyna Bandura and her daughter Anastasia first arrived in New Zealand in August last year.
Bandura’s sister already lived in New Zealand and was the sponsor for her and her daughter’s visa.
Originally from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west of Ukraine, Bandura, speaking through a translator, told the Herald she likes New Zealand.
Anastasia Bandura, 13, and her mother Khrystyna, 38, arrived in New Zealand in August last year.
“It’s very different to Ukraine, but one thing that stands out is how friendly Kiwis are.”
Meanwhile, her 13-year-old daughter is thriving at her new school.
“I’m learning a lot of new interesting stuff that I had never learned before,” she said, “and when people learned I was from Ukraine, they were very supportive.”
The hardest part of applying for the visa for her was the decision to leave everything behind and move halfway around the world to start a life in a new country.
But they would ideally like to stay and make a life in New Zealand.
“I have just started studying English, and Anastasia loves her school,” Bandura said, “I don’t want to have to rip her out and start again.”
The 2022 Special Ukrainian Visa was launched a month after the war began and allows Ukrainian New Zealanders to bring family members still in Ukraine here on a two-year temporary visa.
Since the scheme began, more than 1400 people have received a visa and 700 Ukrianians have arrived here. However, only 363 of those 700 remain in New Zealand.
