Russia takes Zambian children cancer patients' dreams to space
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Children with cancer in Zambia decorate the Russian space rocket with their dreams.
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Zambian children cancer patients paint their dreams on paper to decorate a Russian space rocket.
Children cancer patients at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, painted their dreams on pieces of paper that will decorate a Russian space rocket, the event organizer Unity Foundation told Sputnik.
"Zambian pediatric oncology patients painted their dreams while being accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and a Unity Foundation team to decorate the Russian rocket," Unity Foundation President Alena Kuzmenko said.
The goal of the project, she explained, was to instill strength and self-confidence in youngsters suffering from cancer by encouraging them to join in the painting session and informing them that the artistic representation of their goals will be launched into space.
The children's drawings, according to Kuzmenko, will be added to the current designer paintings from various countries that will be used to decorate the Russian rocket.
During the painting session, Kud-Sverchkov told the kids about his previous adventures on the International Space Station (ISS) and showed them recordings of some of the duties he completed there.
"The event was their contribution in looking after children with cancer by having them participate in coming up with artwork from their dreams about space," Dr. Lewis Banda, Senior Medical Superintendent for Cancer Diseases at the hospital said.
"The children were full of life after watching videos of the cosmonaut's trip to the ISS and knowing their artwork will be put on the rocket that will make a trip to the ISS. This has left an indelible mark in the lives of these children and will have brought hope and healing."
Kuzmenko said the Unity Foundation team is visiting Zambia for the second time but noticed constants regarding children in this and other countries.
"I always notice that children in different countries dream about the same things," she said. "This time in Lusaka, many kids drew their homes and their mothers. Two-year-old Emmanuelle even called my colleague 'mom.' It was a very touching moment. Our project shows us, the adults, that we should listen to children because they know the true values in life."
The art rocket project
Zambia is the third country to join the Unity Foundation's Art Rocket initiative, which was launched in June 2021 with the backing of the Russian space agency Roskosmos.
The project is a global effort to integrate art therapy sessions in pediatric oncology hospitals to promote awareness about children with cancer while also providing them with a space to explore and find courage in their fight.
"Art creates community and allows the children-patients to indirectly connect with others with similar stories internationally," Kuzmenko said.
In 2020, Zambia took part in a Space Art initiative in which children from ten countries painted their dreams on patches that were used to decorate the "Dreamer" spacesuit. In April, the spacesuit was delivered to the International Space Station after being painted.
The Space Art programs, including the current Art Rocket project, are organized by Russia's Unity Foundation and the United States' Space for Art Foundation, with Roscosmos and NASA's backing.
The Rossotrudnichestvo representative office and the Russian Cultural Center in Zambia, on the other hand, supported the painting session in Zambia.
"The Russian House in Lusaka is a bridge connecting charitable projects in Russia and Zambia. The Unity Foundation's Space Art projects are an example of systemic collaboration between the two countries," Russian Cultural Center Director Aleksander Anisimov told Sputnik.
