'You see your family in these families': Carey Mulligan visits Ukraine to meet children displaced by war
KYIV, UKRAINE: Actress Carey Mulligan has traveled to Ukraine to learn firsthand about the challenges displaced families face. The 'Collateral' star has been an ambassador for 'Children in Conflict,' a humanitarian organization since 2014 to see the reality on the ground. Mulligan visited eastern Ukraine in October and saw how her organization has created a safe haven by rebuilding a restaurant and working to provide "additional education" and psychosocial support for the children, she said. "They do art therapy. They're just trying to create an environment in this old restaurant that's been converted into a big communal home for a hundred people that feels like something akin to some sort of home for the kids," the 37-year-old actress added.
Mulligan, who played one of the lead roles in the critically acclaimed film 'She Said,' revealed that she decided to visit a war-torn country, "[I] immediately wrote back and said, 'I'd love to do anything to help.'" The 'An Education' star is socially active and previously visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, an event organized by Children in Conflict and its sister organization War Child UK. Mulligan met with children who were forced into armed groups and later reintegrated into their society.
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The Oscar nominee had a stop in Budapest on her Ukraine visit, so she could meet displaced families who have crossed the border. She shared one incident while she was with children in Ukraine, "An air raid siren went off when we were playing outside with the children, and you just see a shadow pass over all of them and they sort of shudder," Mulligan says. "And all the adults and the teachers try and distract them and playfully encourage them to go inside."
Mulligan, who shares two kids with husband Marcus Mumford adds, "I just think of my children being in a playground and hearing that noise and knowing what it means, or could mean, for them. It's so important that we put ourselves in the shoes of people who are going through this situation and think, 'How on earth would I cope with this, and what kind of support would I need?' "
A fundraiser event was organized at Webster Hall, on Monday, December 5, where many celebrities turned up to perform, including Carlile and Mumford. Pianist Batiste was there at the occasion too, playing his famous piano numbers, whereas Lawrence staged a reading of Joan Didion, reports People. Mulligan explains the focus areas of Children in Conflict, which supports youths in areas of conflict around the globe, who “have had no part in this war and have asked for none of it, don't understand it and have lived lives almost exactly like the majority of people in England and America," says Mulligan.
"And they've been completely blindsided by tragedy. I always come away with thinking, 'But they shouldn't have to be strong or stoic or brave. They're children. They should just be kids and be able to run around and not worry about things.' And of course they're full of worry all the time," she further says.