Sunflowers for Gaza's Children
English

About the initiative

Every child has the right to life, safety, and the same inviolable worth, regardless of where in the world they are born or the political context around them.

Background

What began as a close, local idea has grown into a powerful manifestation. The initiative has its roots in Ockelbo, where I joined together with my family and close friends to create a physical sunflower field. On a small, close-to-home scale, we wanted to create a visual memorial and a manifestation for every child’s right to life.

The idea was to plant 20,000 sunflowers in the ground. Each flower would carry the memory of a lost child and make an almost incomprehensible number easier to grasp.

When drought destroyed the field and local authorities put a stop to the initiative, we refused to let the commitment fall silent. Together we decided not to give up, and instead moved the whole project online. What started with a small group in Ockelbo has now become a digital place where anyone who wants to can take part.

Our goals

  • Raise funds for direct humanitarian support for the children of Gaza.

  • Spread knowledge about the situation for the children of Gaza and refuse to let 20,000 killed children become silent statistics.

  • Engage fellow human beings who refuse to look away and, together, take a stand for every child’s right to life.

Donate

The founder

The sunflower field is a personal initiative I started out of my background in human rights, peace, and nonviolence.

Even as a young person, when I learned about the Second World War, I began to think about civic courage: would I have dared to act if I witnessed a genocide, or would I have become one of those who looked away? When I travelled to Palestine in 2022, the question took on a whole new light. I saw the occupation and the ethnic cleansing with my own eyes. When we asked how we could best help, the answer was simple: tell our story.

That is the promise I am now trying to keep. Two and a half years ago, I poured 12,000 peas onto the table at the Ockelbo municipal council to show how many children had been killed by then. Today more than 20,000 children have been killed, and that is why I am building the sunflower field. Through 20,000 sunflowers, we try to make the incomprehensible number graspable and remind us of every child’s right to life. Refuse to look away too, and help us turn powerlessness into active support for the people of Palestine.

Katrin Åkerlund

Portrait of Katrin Åkerlund, founder of Sunflowers for Gaza's Children

Public education and democracy

Democracy does not arise on its own. It is something we create together through conversation, knowledge, and engagement.

When questions of war and human rights become polarized, the task of public education is not to dictate what you should think, but to offer verified knowledge so you can form your own view.

At the same time, this initiative is an expression of the democratic public sphere. I want to use the opportunity to peacefully express a position, prompt reflection, and contribute to an important public conversation about human rights, solidarity, and international responsibility. At its core, this is about civic courage: refusing to look away and standing up for every child’s right to life and equal worth.

The sunflower field thus becomes a gathering place for urgent fundraising, knowledge, reflection, and democratic participation.

Want to learn more?

When opinions clash, independent reviews become essential. Here you can find reports and documentation from organizations whose mission is to protect civilians and establish the truth:

Sunflowers for Gaza's Children

We refuse to let killed children become silent statistics. Join us in building a digital field of sunflowers. Give your donation online.

All donations go to humanitarian support for children in Gaza.

© 2026 Sunflowers for Gaza's Children

An independent initiative by Katrin Åkerlund

Silhouettes of children playing