A junior at Cheshire Academy is shining the spotlight on Ukraine.
An auditorium was transformed into a tribute to Kyiv Friday night, with music, dancing, traditional Ukrainian baked goods, and prizes.
Sasha Nikanova, the event organizer, says she hopes to draw attention to the dire needs in her home country, even more than a year after the war started.
A dancer, Nikanova was the first to take the stage during the evening of music and celebration. The high school junior set the scene earlier for “A Night For Kyiv,” a concert benefitting Ukraine.
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“The sunflower is the traditional Ukrainian flower,” Nikanova said, showing some of the decorations in the space. “We take eggs and we decorate them in our own styles.”
Tokens from her country illuminate long-held traditions, during a time when the reality she grew up with has slipped away.
“When the war started last year, I had a difficult time accepting that it was going on,” Nikanova said. “I had to adapt to living in such a way, every single day waking up reading the news, worrying about my family.”
Nikanova has studied at Cheshire Academy since she was a freshman, but her parents are still in Kyiv. During a visit she witnessed firsthand the destruction and heartbreak tied to the war.
“When I went back. I saw my city crashed into rubble. I woke up one morning to explosions right outside my window,” she said. “You're living in total darkness for most of your days. And some people don't have any clean water. Some people eat candlelit dinners, but not in the classical sense of the word. They're literally heating their food on candles.”
Joined by her brother, who emcee’ d the concert, Nikanova is doing what she can. All proceeds will go to the Leleka Foundation, to distribute medical supplies in Ukraine.
“It's medical bags, supplies, direct relief for people fighting on the frontlines,” Nikanova said.
Although the war is ever-present in her mind, Nikanova felt the need to illuminate the dire situation again.
"Last year, I organized a fundraiser here in my school, and we raised almost $2,000, but when I did it this year, we raised only $500,” Nikanova said. “That told me that it's actually dropping, see the attention is slipping. I need to do something that's going to evoke emotion from people.”
Despite being more than 4,000 miles away, now she feels a little bit closer to home.
“As someone who went there and experienced it firsthand, and as someone whose family has been going through this for years now, I can say that any help is appreciated,” Nikanova said.
The concert “A Night For Kyiv” sold out on Eventbrite. Nikanova says more than 80 people bought tickets in advance.
