There are 84 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including 26 million refugees. Around half of the world’s refugee population are children, who have had to leave behind their homes, people they loved, to escape some violent conflicts, wars, persecution. Many of those children spend their entire childhoods away from home, sometimes separated from their families or having to live with the pain of loss.

WAR THROUGH CHILDREN’S EYES is a children’s creative competition which is open to all UK residents aged 17 and under. The main purpose is to raise awareness about wars and conflicts, the impact they have on societies, and mostly on children who are the most vulnerable part of any society.

This competition is being organized by the Azerbaijani Community in
the United Kingdom to recognise the 30th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre in Azerbaijan on the freezing night of 26th February 1992. As a result of that tragedy, 613 civilians perished, including 106 women and 63 children. 6 families were completely wiped out, 25 children lost both parents and 130 children lost one of their parents. 1,275 Khojaly residents were taken hostage, and 150 people to this day remain unaccounted for.

Our mission is to raise awareness about the brutality of any war and the problem of refugees as one of the main outcomes. We would like to create a platform where children will learn to be more tolerant and sensitive towards those who are less fortunate, to inspire them to find ways to help those in great need. This year is the first competition and we intend to hold it annually going forward. We want War Through Childrens’ Eyes to become a stage from which children can reach our hearts and mind, telling the stories of those who do not have a voice.

If you are 17 years old or under, and if you want to become our ambassador and advocate for stopping wars, violence, and through your creativity to advocate for letting other children be just children, we would love you to become part of this project.

This year we have chosen to support the War Child organisation with
our contest and we would like to encourage everyone who is going to submit their works through our online submission form, to donate to the War Child organisation. The money raised will enable War Child to continue to be a force that can change the lives of many children and every penny will help them to provide the chance for a better future for children affected by wars and violent conflicts.

Follow our website for more information

https://www.warthroughchildrenseyes.org.uk/