A painting by an autistic boy from Berdiansk joined the collection of Pope Francis
This was reported by RIA.Pivden.
According to the report, a book presentation by the young author and an exhibition of his paintings recently took place in Dnipro.
In April 2022, Maksym Brovchenko and his mother were leaving the occupied Berdiansk. They were stopped by Russian soldiers, and Maksym asked, "Sir, when will you all die off?"
Oksana, Maksym's mother, recounts that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) usually say what they think; it's difficult for them to hide their feelings. Fortunately, they managed to leave the occupied territory of Berdiansk unharmed. Now, Maksym paints pictures and sells them, donating the proceeds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In total, he has managed to raise over 170,000 hryvnias.
"It's not a hobby. It's just a drawing. When I draw and then sell paintings, I send the money to our soldiers. I draw because I want to help our soldiers," says Maksym.
Recently, the presentation of Maksym's book "Planet A" took place. Maksym began writing "Planet A" at home in Berdiansk, even before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is a science fiction work about the lives of aliens and their forced arrival on Earth, in Ukraine, due to external aggression. Although the book contains many analogies to the current tragic situation in Ukraine, it is, in fact, a work about the value of peace and the value of life, an integral part of which is people with developmental differences. Through his characters, Maksym uses simple children's words to show and explain what autism, tolerance, peace, war, and love are.
Maksym Brovchenko is already a well-known artist in Ukraine and beyond, who directs the funds raised from the sale of his paintings to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian children with autism. For his volunteer activities, the boy received an award from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The boy's paintings adorn the collections of many of our defenders, First Lady Olena Zelenska, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, and Pope Francis.
