Short film to be shown in schools to educate pupils on plight of child refugees

Director Peter Peake said those behind the film hope it will encourage empathy in young people towards refugees.

A short film to highlight the experience of refugee children around the world has been released to mark the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war (Aardman/Save the Children/PA)

Primary school children across the UK will be shown a short film inspired by the experiences of child refugees and created in response to the war in Ukraine.

The film, entitled Home, is being released to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

Save the Children teamed up with animation studio Aardman to make the film which highlights the experience of refugee children around the world as they face separation from friends and family and having to go to new schools.

The four-minute animation, which also looks at how children can welcome new refugee friends and learn about different cultures, aims to tell the stories of those who have fled Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria as well as Ukraine.

Director Peter Peake said those behind the film hope it will encourage empathy in children towards refugees.

He said: “Our film was created as a specific response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but it aims to help all children displaced from their homes due to war, famine and persecution.

“Working with Save the Children, we learnt what difficulties children face when trying to settle in a new country.

“Ultimately, we hope the film encourages children everywhere to empathise with some of their peers who might be going through that experience and to know the impact they can have by making someone feel welcome.”

Alison Griffin, head of conflict and humanitarian campaigns from Save the Children, said: “Many refugee children who’ve found a new, safer home, still carry the physical and emotional scars of war, or face daily setbacks simply because of who they are or where they’ve come from.

“That’s why it’s so important for refugee children to get the welcome – and the childhood – they deserve. We hope this beautiful short film will inspire people to reach out to child refugees, welcome them, and help them feel somewhere like ‘home’ again.”

Save the Children said it is distributing the animated film among its UK-wide network of primary schools following Wednesday’s launch.