Children from Ukraine are selling drawings to raise money for charity

A UK-based non-profit organization , run by a team of volunteers from around the world, recently launched the LELEKA project .

It's a platform where you can buy artwork by children from Ukraine for just £7 and thereby make a donation to support Ukraine's independence and defense. The children can then decide how to use their earnings : to help their families, support their communities, donate to the Ukrainian Armed Forces or local charities – it's entirely up to them.

A total of 3 million children in Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries urgently need humanitarian aid . Nearly two out of three children have been displaced by fighting, according to UNICEF . A child's sense of belonging and security is seriously damaged when they are not at home. LELEKA was created to help Ukrainian children regain their self-esteem.

Any child under 18 from Ukraine can sell printable versions of their art on the LELEKA platform. This includes children who have remained in their country as well as those who were forced to flee. LELEKA accepts artwork from Ukrainian children regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or family political views.

As a non-profit initiative, the platform is completely free for artists. The operators do not accept any commissions and do not collect any data/personal information, and they never will.

It's hard for adults to escape. It's twice as hard for children. Children aren't involved in civic engagement or earning money, so they usually find themselves alone, worthless, and completely lost. We built LELEKA so that children from Ukraine can feel safe, useful, and self-reliant again

says Aliaksandra Lamachenka, co-founder of LELEKA.

The platform gives children the opportunity to express their feelings and beliefs. It is a safe space for children from Ukraine to express their creativity as a counterweight to destruction, and a place where people from all over the world can easily support them in these efforts.

Here you can find more details about the project and see the artwork by children from Ukraine: https://leleka.me/

Since LELEKA launched in Ukraine, more than 13,000 paintings received from children willing to sell their artwork to support their families and their country. The number continues to grow steadily.

If you are also looking for ways to support the people of Ukraine amidst this devastating war, I am sure you would like to learn about LELEKA and help bring a little more hope and peace to Ukraine – all for the price of a cup of coffee.

The LELEKA team is happy to answer any questions you may have. Simply visit their website or send an email directly to anna@leleka.me .

New artworks can be added directly here: https://leleka.me/join

Further information & Frequently Asked Questions

What is LELEKA?

A marketplace featuring printable artwork created by children in Ukraine. Anyone worldwide can purchase this artwork. The founders designed it so that children can feel supported, useful, and empowered by raising money for themselves and their families.

What LELEKA is NOT

LELEKA ART LTD is a non-profit organization. Making a profit is not what the operators aim for. The project is purely voluntary and no commissions are charged.

LELEKA ART LTD is not a charity. They do not donate directly to children or foundations. They are building a platform where children from Ukraine can raise money by selling their artwork, allowing them to feel useful and regain some control over their current situation.

What is LELEKA's mission?

The explicit mission is to restore a sense of empowerment, belonging, and self-determination to children from Ukraine.

Who is behind LELEKA?

All the people who work at LELEKA, including the CEO, are volunteers from all over the world (Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, United Kingdom).

Founder of the project:

Aliaksandra Lamachenka – Martech & Growth Lead, Depop, ex-Skyscanner;
Pavel Liber – Co-founder of GOLOS, eHealth;
Sandra Charnak Woreczek – Event Manager at Delicious London, Blogger

How does it work?

Children submit photos of their artwork via the platform. LELEKA's volunteer designers transform the photos into high-quality digital files. Each file can be printed as an A4 poster, a postcard in A5 and A6, or used as a smartphone wallpaper. On LELEKA, any printable file can be purchased for just £7. The £7 (minus VAT, Stripe, and bank fees) goes directly to the child's family bank account.

What are the underlying principles?

LELEKA is transparent, official, and compliant. It is a UK-based company registered as LELEKA ART LTD. As a limited company, the operators are required to pay VAT (20%) every three months and report income to HMRC each financial year. LELEKA's commission is 0%. The profit the company will report to HMRC is and will remain zero. Everyone working on the project, including the CEO, works on a voluntary and unpaid basis.

What is the pricing structure?

As a UK-registered limited liability company, LELEKA is required to pay VAT. Read more about UK VAT here

To securely receive payments and send them to the children's families, the platform uses Stripe and Wise . Both charge commissions and fees for their services.

A fee is paid to Stripe . However, Stripe has agreed to reduce its fees for LELEKA. Here's what operators pay for each transaction:

• 1.2% + £0.20 for the EU and the United Kingdom
• 2.9% + £0.20 for other countries

Plus 0.5% Stripe Tax service fee.

Wise also charges a fee for sending money to artists' bank accounts. If the bank account is located in Ukraine, the fee can be up to €4 per transfer. LELEKA allows families to collect money before disbursing it, so the fee is less of a burden. Read more about Wise fees here

Example pricing structure:

All calculations below are examples only and may vary depending on the buyer's country and family.

PURCHASES

Purchase: £7
VAT: £1.17 (20%)
Stripe fee: £0.41 (2.5% + 0.5% + 20p)
LELEKA fee: €0 (0%)
Per purchase wound up by one child: £5.42

PAYOUT:

After 10 purchases: £54.20
Variable fee for Wise bank transfer: £0.22
Wise bank transfer fee: £0.20 (fixed)
Wise non-SEPA fee: €3.55 (fixed)
A family receives: €50.60

Please also note that a family in Ukraine may be required to pay 18% income tax + 1.5% military tax.

Growth plans for LELEKA

One of LELEKA's growth strategies will focus on social media campaigns and collaborations, leveraging viral effects. These are intended to help LELEKA reach thousands of new artists and buyers within the initial phase after the platform's launch. In addition to partnerships with public figures, the operators also plan collaborations with brands, influencers, and galleries.

To grow the product, the project leaders need numerous partners. They cannot drive this growth cycle alone. This is a community product, and the minds behind LELEKA hope that executives, influencers, and socially engaged citizens from around the world will become part of the LELEKA community and support the many volunteers behind LELEKA in growing and helping as many children as possible.

What does the future hold for the project?

Once there is no longer a need for LELEKA, those in charge want it to transform into a platform where young people aged 13 to 25 can raise money by doing what they enjoy – selling art, training others, making music, baking cakes, or whatever they love and are passionate about.

LELEKA's management will use this platform to educate young people about business opportunities, their rights, their privacy, and trends from other countries.

The aim of the project is to strengthen a young generation in the long term and to offer them the opportunity to actively participate in social life and to shape their future in a self-determined way.