Ukraine has entered the top 10 charity projects at Miss World 2023: Sofia Shamia cried while speaking about children of war

Ukraine is among the top 10 charity projects at Miss World 2023, which is being held this year in Mumbai, India. Sofia Shamiya, a 19-year-old representative of our country, presented a video about her work with children who have suffered from Russian aggression: they lost their parents, their homes, and some lost their arms or legs. The top ten were chosen from 117 projects from each participant.

All the videos were filmed in advance, and their presentation took place in India on March 3. When it came to Sofia's turn and she had to give her speech after watching the video, she couldn't hold back her emotions and stop her tears. Veronika Shchiptsova, the chairwoman of the Miss Ukraine committee, told OBOZ.UA about this, and the list of the top 10 was published on the official Miss World Instagram page.

"We prepared a video about our project in advance and sent it to the contest itself. Yesterday, Sofia, like all the girls, presented it to the public, giving a speech on stage. When Sofia spoke, she cried," Veronika Shchiptsova shared with us.

On her Instagram page, she also noted that the charity project from Ukraine reveals the painful topic of how Russia is taking away a normal, fulfilling childhood from little Ukrainians.

"We presented the video work of our team, where we told how the aggressor country takes away a normal childhood from our children, how this war affects them, what difficulties children face and what they go through when they lose their parents and relatives. Our nation is fighting to ensure that our children continue to have a peaceful childhood, freedom and liberty. Now the world has no right to forget what Ukrainians go through every day," wrote the head of the Miss Ukraine committee.

Meanwhile, the representative of Ukraine at Miss World herself was crying through her speech about the children of this terrible war. Sofia recalled how she visited a hospital where children who had lost everything were lying in the hospital.

"Every time I say where I come from, I'm sorry, I get a little emotional. It's just that every time I watch this video, I remember little girls, little boys, when I was at Okhmatdyt, I had the opportunity to talk to them a lot. I remember one child running around, playing, coming up to me and saying: "I like your dress, you look like a princess." And then she said: "But you know what, my mom and dad are dead." And she says it so casually, as if it was yesterday. She says it so casually, even though I can see so much pain in her eyes," Shamia said in tears.

In the video, which impressed the international jury, the Ukrainian woman tells how she started practicing art therapy with children to help them after the horrors they had experienced.

"On February 24, 2022, a terrible war destroyed my home, Ukraine, leaving the ruins of what had once been a happy life. Thousands of people lost their homes to missile attacks. Streets, villages and entire cities are in ruins, nature is devastated. The pain touched each of us. I was already involved in charity work, but the war made me realize that I could do more. I was inspired by Ukrainian volunteers. As an artist, I realized the healing power of art. That's why I started art therapy with children - to understand their emotions. I organized a charity auction and used the proceeds from the sale of paintings to rehabilitate children who had their childhood taken away from them," Sofia says in the video.

In addition to Ukraine, the top ten charitable projects were also from the following countries: Indonesia, Nepal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Tanzania, Botswana, Uganda, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told you about the national costume that Sofia Shamia presented especially for the Miss World 2023 contest. "Forest Song" is the name of the fragile green dress that was created under fire in Kharkiv.

Fortunately, the contestant from the terrorist country of Russia will not overshadow the pageant. As it has become known, after the Miss Europe scandal, Russians are no longer allowed to attend this beauty pageant.

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