Meet 13-year-old Maksym from Lviv, who dreams of creating his computer game.

The boy also plays water polo, in which he is very successful. In 2021, Maksym clinched the title of the best goalkeeper at the Ukrainian Water Polo Championship. It was a bittersweet moment because his father couldn’t be in the stands to witness his victory. His dad, looking down from heaven, had to be content with that achievement.

When Maksym was 4, his father Taras was mobilized to the front. The man took part in the most challenging battles for Ukraine since 2014. He was defending the Luhansk airport and returned home a year later. However, in 2022, Taras went to fight in the east again. And this time Maksym was waiting for father with his 4-years-old sister Katrusia.

Taras was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Courage for his bravery in the defense of Ukraine, and a month later, Maksym learned of his death. Then, the mother and son silently hugged each other and cried for a long time. The boy was very close to his father. They often organized their “manly” days. They played computer games together, swam together, and in winter, they built snow castles. In just one moment, all this was gone, and the boy had to grow up quickly and painfully.

As part of our project “Give Light to Children” with ПриватБанк , we gave Maksym gifts of “safety and development” to support him in this difficult time. Maksym was very excited about the tablet with the Rozumniki software, which will help him learn. The gadget will also help Maksym continue his second year of study at the computer academy and, thus, step toward his dream.