I picked this photo because I was this kid.
I grew up in Ukraine before Russia invaded in 2014. Summers meant fishing with my grandpa which was one of my favourite things to do. I’d dig up the worms, help set up the rods, and we’d sit by the river and wait.
The thing is we never caught anything decent. Just some tiny fish. But grandma cooked them anyway and made a massive deal that it was freshly caught by us.
My grandpa was always trying to teach me patience. Sit still. Wait. Don’t rush it. I’m not sure it worked - patience is still not my forte.
Here’s the part I only worked out years later - my grandpa wasn’t actually good at fishing. That’s why we never caught anything. At the time it never crossed my mind, and honestly it didn’t matter. That wasn’t the point of it.
This boy is around the same age I was back then. Doing the same thing. The difference is he’s never known peaceful Ukraine. Air raids, invading armies, losing your loved ones to war - this was only in books and movies when I was his age. Or somewhere far away. I couldn’t even remotely imagine this happening in my country.
I want him to have what I had. But he can’t, not as a kid.
What he does have is this. Someone took him to the river. Someone showed him how to hold the rod. He’s out there doing the exact same thing I was doing, in the same country, and the war didn’t stop that.
I hope he catches something. Doesn’t matter how small.
Diary of a Volunteer is both an exhibition and a fundraising project.
Postcode Ukraine is a Kyiv-based charity founded in 2022 to support grassroots humanitarian organisations and volunteer groups working directly with communities affected by the war
*US supporters of Postcode Ukraine can make tax-deductible donations through our US partner, Shield of Freedom, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting Ukraine. Donations made through this campaign are received and acknowledged by Shield of Freedom and, through its grant programme, support Postcode Ukraine's humanitarian aid initiatives in Ukraine.
Since 2022, Postcode Ukraine has directly funded more than $500,000 of humanitarian aid projects across Ukraine
Through photography, film and humanitarian action, Postcode Ukraine works to ensure that the experiences of ordinary Ukrainians are seen, remembered and supported.
