For these kids painting is more than art; it is a prayer for home, a remembrance of what was lost, and a declaration that what is broken can be made whole.
In a country scarred by missiles and sirens, small hands and a soldier’s heart testify that beauty still has a voice. Even from the ashes, light rises.
Art Forged from Fire
Trident Group Ukraine LLC, together with the U.S.-based Be The Light Foundation (501(c)(3)), is honored to support a youth masterclass in icon painting led by Sergii Gerasymenko (Сергій Герасименко) – frontline soldier, artist, and iconographer. Sergii turns the debris of war – missile fragments and ammunition boxes – into sacred icons. His works, born of fire and faith, have been gifted by President Volodymyr Zelensky to global leaders, including His Holiness the Pope.
Children’s Brushes Become Prayers
Internally displaced children – many from Greek origin families from the occupied regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson – gathered under Sergii’s guidance to create their own icons. For them, painting is more than art; it is a prayer for home, a remembrance of what was lost, and a declaration that what is broken can be made whole. Each brushstroke carries strength, healing, and the persistent belief that light endures.
Turning Pain into Protection
These children paint hope – and that hope saves lives. Proceeds from their icons fund lifesaving equipment for the front line, including:
- Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs)
- Israeli emergency bandages
- Combat tourniquets
- EcoFlow portable power batteries
What begins as fragment of war becomes tools of survival – transforming destruction into protection for Ukraine’s defenders.
Solidarity Across Borders
Through its With the Shield project, the Be The Light Foundation provides critical aid to more than 450 Ukrainian military units. In partnership with Trident Group Ukraine LLC, this effort shows what is possible when corporate responsibility, faith, and grassroots compassion move as one: hope is mobilized, and lives are saved.
With Deep Gratitude
This project stands on the unwavering generosity of Innesa Aliabaeva (Інесса Алябедева) and Nikos Iltsopoulos of Trident Group Ukraine LLC – proof that hope is strongest when shared.
A Call to the World
We invite you to join this story. When you donate, you do more than fund medical supplies – you carry forward the faith of children who refuse to let war define their future. You help turn fragments of destruction into icons of life.
About Be The Light Foundation
Be The Light Foundation is a U.S.-based NGO (501(c)(3)) dedicated to supporting Ukraine’s defenders and communities. All donations are tax-deductible under U.S. law.
For more information:
- Be The Light initiative — With the Shield
- Greek Netflix (ERTflix) documentary on Sergii Gerasymenko — Watch here
