In June 2020 the WCM opened its first international office, in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Museum is working in several cities around the country to document experiences of children affected by war in Eastern Ukraine.

WCM’s team in Ukraine is lead by Dr. Iuliia Skubytska, and brings together 10 experts, including historians, psychologists, and anthropologists. WCM’s Ukrainian collection already includes memories and personal belongings of more than 100 children, both those living in the east, and IDPs across the country.

As we are working further to document experiences of children affected by the ongoing conflict, we are also producing our first exhibition which is scheduled for June 2021 in Kyiv. The exhibition will then travel to at least five other regions in Ukraine, and some of its contents will be presented through WCM’s travelling exhibitions in other countries.

With this exhibition we aim to:

  • Provide valuable insight into children’s perspectives on their current situation and status;
  • Help children to better understand and more easily cope with their experiences by:
  1. Providing them with an opportunity to share their personal stories, as sharing a their stories may support their healing processes;
  2. Enabling them to connect with others who have had similar experiences, which could help them feel less alienated and increase their sense of belonging to a greater community.
  • Raise awareness, especially among citizens of other European countries, about the children’s needs and how the war has affected them, ultimately contributing to a better awareness about the conflict in Ukraine;
  • Raise awareness among citizens of host cities, about experiences of internally displaced children from Eastern Ukraine.

Contact:

Iuliia Skubytska, WCM Project Director Ukraine, iuliia.skubytska@warchildhood.org

Jasminko Halilović, WCM Founder, jasminko.halilovic@warchildhood.org

Hyppo

When the war began in 2014, our school closed for three months. I was in the third grade, but I just sat at home. All the other children left and went to school in other cities; only me and Tanya stayed. After a while, more and more children returned and we were able to go back to school. I had to make up for all the missed material quickly. In December of the same year, I celebrated my birthday. My best friend Sasha gave me this Hyppo toy as a birthday present. At the end of January, heavy shelling became frequent and Sasha had to leave for Poltava. I used to keep this Hyppo toy on the shelf.

Whenever we had to run to the basement to hide, I would take the Hyppo with me. Holding tight to it gave me a source of confidence and reassured me that everything would be fine. When the heavy shelling became less frequent, Sasha returned and we got to meet again.

Vlada, b. 2005

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