Liliia Tereshpolska, head of the decorative and applied arts club Siaivo at the Andrii Kutsevalov Bucha centre for out-of-school work, has won the grand prix of the regional charitable unity toloka "Unbroken, Free, Independent".

This was reported by the Bucha city council.

A motanka doll rather than a painting or embroidery

For the competition Liliia Mykolaivna submitted a piece she had made herself — a motanka doll. It is one of the oldest Ukrainian protective dolls: it is wound from cloth without a needle and without a single seam, and its face is left blank or marked with a cross.

The Bucha city council explains the choice of symbol this way: the motanka stands for Ukrainian culture, family warmth and resilience — exactly what the name of the toloka is about.

The works were sold and the money went to the army

The participants’ works were shown not simply at an exhibition but at a charity sale. All the money raised went to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, so the competition was a charitable one from the start.

Liliia Tereshpolska took the grand prix in the category for teachers of educational institutions. The toloka was organised by the Kyiv Regional Council municipal institution Centre for Creativity of Children and Youth of the Kyiv Region; the diploma was signed by its director Alla Radzivill.

The Bucha centre for out-of-school work is named after Andrii Kutsevalov, a teacher and its long-time head. The Siaivo club led by the winner works precisely in decorative and applied arts — the things children make with their hands, from cloth, thread, paper and clay.

Earlier we reported that dancers from Bucha brought a grand prix, seven first places and four awards home from Turkey.