No parent or child EVER wishes to be in a children’s hospital.

But people are there. Children and parents, and the people who care for them. We believe in the restorative power of ART and this is the purpose of our KRYLA Project.

It’s a mission to create paid, meaningful work for artists worldwide, transforming children’s hospitals into spaces of healing and hope through ART. Through this initiative, we aim to build an organization that will secure major funding from companies, philanthropy and supporters, enabling artists to bring color, comfort, and inspiration to young patients, families and hospital staff on a global scale.

We need your help with this seed funding to create our organisation and the assets needed to secure funding from companies, and philanthropic organisations.

Help us get started, so that children and families facing serious illnesses can find moments of peace and imagination in hospitals around the world, while artists use their skills to make a lasting impact in their communities.

KRYLA is a global initiative dedicated to infusing art, light, and healing into children’s hospitals and social centers.

Project Goals:

• Build a network of artists working on art projects for hospitals and social centers globally.

• Secure funding for project growth and artist support.

• Foster learning and exchange among artists, guided by experienced mentor Anzhela Dmytrenko, in order to better serve and heal the children with whom we work.

Core Ideas:

• Art as Healing: We may not change our past, but through art and imagination, children rediscover themselves, finding support and healing.

• Creating Safe Spaces: Our murals provide children and staff with peaceful moments of inspiration and escape.

• Empowering Artists and Communities: By connecting artists, donors and projects we want to spread this healing power to institutions beyond our initial project in Kyiv, to share our project with children around the world.

Every person has a universe within them, and art invites them into an alternative and healing space.

Experiences from our First Project at Okhmatdyt Hospital in Kyiv - 2022-2024: Anzhela's murals at Ukraine's largest children's hospital have transformed lives, allowing children to escape their circumstances and find joy. Parents and staff also found solace in these painted spaces, which became hubs for reflection and connection. One mother found comfort visiting a mural her son had helped create. Psychologists noted that previously withdrawn children began to share joyfully through collaborative art.

Art in places of pain is essential, providing light where darkness prevails. Anzhela’s ethereal airbrush technique creates dreamlike worlds, reactivating childlike imagination and fostering happiness among those who need it most.

Collaboration with Harder & Steenbeck: With support from Harder & Steenbeck, Anzhela painted over 8,000 square feet in Okhmatdyt, creating vibrant environments across seventeen departments. This collaboration blossomed during a challenging time in Ukraine, and Anzhela’s art became vital to the well-being of many in the hospital. Sadly, some artwork was lost in a missile strike in 2024.

About the Co-founders:

Anzhela Dmytrenko: Anzhela Dmytrenko, a Ukrainian artist, discovered her purpose in art after a serious illness. Her journey with her autistic son Dima has deepened her understanding of art’s healing power, prompting her to want to share this transformative experience with others. She has a deep commitment to mentoring and sharing the impact of her art in healing spaces.

Anastasiia Maherramova: A communications specialist with a decade of experience in PR and nonprofit work. In March 2021, she joined the team at Okhmatdyt hospital and took the lead at the press office of the largest children's hospital in Ukraine. She has founded two non-profits promoting blood donation and now leads the effort to promote and establish this project, KRYLA.

Warrick Smith: Works at the Harder & Steenbeck airbrush company in Norderstedt, Germany, he continues a long tradition within the company of supporting children's causes at the grass-roots level. He is a German resident and has many years of experience working with airbrushes, as a product designer, team leader, and as a painter.

Use of Your Donations:

Warrick Smith is collecting your donations. These will be used to assist Anzhela and Anastasiia to establish themselves & KRYLA as a registered non-profit (gGmbH) based in Germany, and to assist in its seed funding. KRYLA will be owned and run by Anzhela and Anastasiia, in order to scale up the concept of funding artists around the world to paint in children's spaces by finding willing donors for these projects. The project completed in 2024 at Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital with the support of the Harder & Steenbeck airbrush company serves as the inspiration and template for future endeavours in projects globally. All donations will be distributed here in Germany to facilitate the forming of KRYLA as a gGmbH non-profit organisation here in Germany.