Source: Save The Children
Refugee children from Ukraine play together at a Save the Children Counselling Hub. Bucharest, Romania, December 2023. Credit: Olivia Arthur/MAGNUM PHOTOS
LONDON/STOCKHOLM/TOKYO/ROME, 3 SEPTEMBER 2024 – A powerful new photography exhibition documenting the lives of children experiencing conflict and crisis from Ukraine, Vietnam and Ethiopia opens this month and will run in 10 countries.
Global apparel retailer UNIQLO has collaborated with internationally renowned photographic cooperative Magnum Photos on a collection of 63 images highlighting the real lives of children and adults who have faced adversity, such as war, displacement and child-marriage.
The people photographed have all been supported by UNIQLO’s PEACE FOR ALL charity T-shirt project, which donates proceeds to the humanitarian and development work of Save the Children, UNHCR, and Plan International.
A new collection of PEACE FOR ALL charity T-shirts will launch on 19 September 2024, with all of the designs expressing a wish for peace.
Conflicts and crises take a devastating toll on children, who are more vulnerable to illness and disease and often face an increased risk of exploitation and abuse. Children who have fled conflicts and crises are also at risk, as their education is disrupted, and their mental health can suffer.
Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur visited Save the Children’s counselling hub in Bucharest, Romania, last December for the project. The hub offers children displaced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine the opportunity to participate in educational and other activities.
Liubov*, 10, who attends Save the Children’s counselling hub in Bucharest, said:
“In the ‘Save the Children’ sessions, I feel safe and joyful like a child. I enjoy participating in games, learning new things, and spending time with other kids who speak my language.”
Vladymir*, 8, also attends the Hub, he said:
“During the ‘Save the Children’ sessions, I feel inspired and happy because I come here with my friends.”
Save the Children Romania has set up eight counselling hubs across the country, providing a range of services for refugees including counselling, child protection, education, mental health and psychosocial support activities.
Olivia Arthur captured the lives of children as they attended Romanian & English language classes, afterschool classes, creativity classes, and therapy with dogs, she said:
“The most powerful tool that children have is their imagination, so I wanted to create a space where these children could come and express themselves and play with whatever came into their heads. There was a lot of giggling and some inventive creatures and poses.”
Federica Toscano, Senior Advocacy Advisor, Children on the Move, Save the Children Europe, said:
“The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has forced countless children to leave behind everything they know. In times of crisis, providing not just shelter but also emotional and educational support is crucial for their well-being and future. Save the Children’s counselling hubs offer a safe space where children can heal, learn, and rediscover a sense of normalcy.”
UNIQLO and Save the Children have been working together since 2022, through the PEACE FOR ALL initiative. Supporting children globally affected by conflict and emergencies.
Notes
*Names changed to protect anonymity
Media spokespeople available on request, pelase contact ruby.wright@savethechildren.org.
We have multimedia contant to accopmany this release: https://www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2S0PVFO7
Exhibitions
UK, London, Kings Cross, 13 September – 31 October 2024
Vietnam, Hanoi, Hanoi Information and Exhibition Centre, 18 September – 22 September 2024
US, New York, UNIQLO 5th Avenue, 19 September to 31 October 2024
Sweden, Stockholm, Kings Garden, 19 September – 13 October 2024
Taiwan, Taipei, UNIQLO Taipei, 20 September – 3- October 2024
Singapore, Vivo City, 20 September – 4 October 2024
Japan, Tokyo, UN University, 19 September – 23 September 2024
Korea, Seoul, DRC Hongdae, 21 September – 25 September 2024
Italy, Rome, Galleria Alberto Sordi, 21 September – 11 October 2024
Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Sunway University, 23 September – 25 September 2024
UNIQLO launched the PEACE FOR ALL project on 17 June 2022, and to date has featured designs from 38 collaborators (including this most recent collection). As of July 2024, more than 5 million T-shirts have been sold worldwide, raising more than JPY 1.5 billion (approx. US$10 million). UNIQLO parent company Fast Retailing contributes 100% of profits from the sale of these T shirts (equivalent to 20% of the selling price) to three international aid organisations, UNHCR, Save the Children, and Plan International Inc., which aid people impacted by poverty, discrimination, violence, and conflict.
