Daria Prunchak 16, female from Donetsk

My name is Dasha, I’m 16 years old, and this is the story of my life. My family and I used to live in a small but cozy town called Volnovakha, not far from Mariupol, in the southeast of Ukraine. I was always surrounded by care, love, and warmth. Maybe that’s why, since childhood, I’ve been drawn to creativity. It helped me graduate from both art and music school with honors.

I was also an excellent student at school. My favorite subjects were History and English, but Literature had a special place in my heart. I even tried writing poetry. Looking back, some of those poems seem a bit funny now, but they were mine, and they were real.

And then, one day, the war began.

It changed everything. It deeply affected my family. We often worry about the future and sometimes feel scared. The hardest part of the war is not knowing what tomorrow will bring. We hear sirens, we see heartbreaking news, and we often miss our old life. But we try to stay strong.

Even though life has become more difficult, the war has also taught me to appreciate the little things I’ve learned how important it is to stay together, to help one another, and never to give up.

It has been six months since I started studying in a new school in Kyiv. I’m still a straight-A student and continue to focus on personal growth. If I started listing all my hobbies now, it could take hours. In terms of sports, I’m passionate about running and Pilates. There’s a stadium near our home where I train regularly.

Creativity is still a big part of my life. I draw, learn new crafts—like making soy candles—and I keep writing poetry. Of course, my poems have changed. They’ve become more conscious, deeper, and sometimes filled with pain and reflection.

But through everything, my family remains the most important thing in my life.My mother -Marina, she works as a teacher at school and father Andrey is a pensioner .My parents have always been and will always be my greatest support. They taught me that life is a precious gift, and we must value it, no matter what trials we face. We believe in the future