Jessica Chastain on Kyiv: The children amazed me with their hope and strength
By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Hollywood star Jessica Chastain accepted a “beautiful” painting from a young girl during a “life-changing” trip to Ukraine where she had the “opportunity to meet incredible children”.
The Oscar-winning actress, who visited capital Kyiv in early August, said she needed a few weeks to “process everything” she saw there.
On Thursday, she shared a video documenting the visit to Ohmatdyt children’s hospital, where she was given a handmade painting by a young girl.
I needed a few weeks to process everything I saw from my trip to Kyiv. We landed in Poland, drove 4 hrs then took a train for another 11. I was nervous and the length of the journey gave me time to calm myself. I’m going to now start sharing with you guys what I saw. pic.twitter.com/fFsloiBwuw
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) September 1, 2022
“Oh wow, that’s beautiful,” Chastain said.
Captioning the video, the 45-year-old wrote: “I needed a few weeks to process everything I saw from my trip to Kyiv.
“We landed in Poland, drove 4 hrs then took a train for another 11. I was nervous and the length of the journey gave me time to calm myself.
“One of the experiences from this life changing trip was my visit to the children’s hospital: Ohmatdyt.
“I had the opportunity to meet incredible children and the director, Volodymyr Zhovnir. The children amazed me with their hope and strength.
“Many had been displaced from their homes and spent months in the hospital. It is a huge humanitarian crisis going on in the Ukraine.
“We can’t forget the innocent ones effected by senseless acts of violence. I am grateful to have met these sweet little kids with big brave hearts.”
Chastain is not the first celebrity to involve themselves in humanitarian work for Ukraine, with Night At The Museum actor Ben Stiller visiting the country in June.
