The Hrystia Hranovska Foundation took part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026) in Gdańsk, an international conference focused on Ukraine’s recovery.
The Foundation’s Founder, Hrystia Khranovska, joined the conference, while the Foundation’s Director, Halyna Samchuk, presented the Freedom Diaries project on the stage of the Ukraine Pavilion.
In her speech, Halyna Samchuk spoke about an essential part of Ukraine’s recovery — Ukrainian children and their identity. While many discussions focused on the economy, infrastructure, and investment, the Foundation highlighted another key priority: human capital. The generation that will rebuild Ukraine is growing up today.
This is why the Khranovska Foundation created Freedom Diaries — an educational and arts-based project that helps Ukrainian children around the world stay connected to their culture, language, identity, and sense of home.
During the presentation, Halyna shared the story of a Freedom Diaries participant. During one of our workshops, a girl who had been forced to leave Ukraine because of the war was asked to draw a place where she feels free. She drew Ukraine and said:
“I want it to be even more beautiful when I grow up.”
Her story became a powerful reminder that Ukraine’s recovery begins long before new buildings appear. It begins when a child keeps their connection to their country, remembers who they are, and believes in its future.
We return from Gdańsk with even stronger confidence: investing in children today means investing in Ukraine’s future.
We also thank the journalists of Freedom TV for covering this story and helping bring attention to the importance of supporting Ukrainian children who have been displaced by the war.
