Children Affected by the Russian-Ukrainian War

The War Childhood Museum opened its first international office in Kyiv in June 2020. Its staff was initially focused on documenting the experiences of children and youth affected by the war in eastern Ukraine and the temporary occupation of Crimea that began in 2014.

Despite the full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022, the museum’s staff has continued their research and documentation activities. The WCM team, led by Svitlana Osipchuk, Project Director, remains dedicated to gathering testimonies from all regions of Ukraine and from Ukrainian refugees.

The first major exhibition was held in Kyiv in 2021. It attracted over 1,100 visitors and received extensive coverage from both Ukrainian and international media. Renowned war journalist Anthony Loyd, writing for The Times, commented that “this international expansion puts the WCM at the forefront of projects examining the impact of war on children.“

In January 2022, a temporary exhibition was set up in Kherson, with plans to visit a total of six Ukrainian regions by the end of the year. However, these plans were disrupted by the outbreak of full-scale invasion.

The WCM offices in Sarajevo and Kyiv jointly produced the exhibition “LISTEN” which has since visited six European cities. It was shown in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and the International Council of Museums conference in Prague. The exhibition aims to highlight the personal stories of Ukrainian children and youth affected by the ongoing war.

The latest major exhibition “Out of Shadow” was held in summer 2024 in Kyiv at the Taras Shevchenko Museum.

In addition to providing a platform for children and youth affected by war to share their stories, the museum also offers a variety of educational activities both online and offline.

WCM Ukraine Collection

The growing WCM Ukraine collection is one of the few, if not the only one, dedicated solely to children’s experiences during the war in Ukraine.

Currently the collection includes:

400

Testimonies

600

Objects

WCM in Ukraine Future Plans

After several successful temporary exhibitions that highlighted WCM’s capacity to attract diverse audiences and provide visibility and importance to youth and their stories, the WCM is now working towards securing a space for a permanent museum in Kyiv. The permanent War Childhood Museum in Kyiv will serve as a crucial space for dialogue and remembrance, aiding in the healing of individuals, families, and communities.

By empowering young people, the WCM helps to address trauma, build mutual understanding, and prevent the spread of trauma within communities. In the New York Times article about the WCM’s temporary exhibition in Kyiv, one of the contributors, who was 16 when she fled Stanytsia Luhanska in 2014, said: “The [WCM’s] exhibition in Kyiv was one of the first times my experience had been seen and understood.” It is precisely that — to provide a platform for children and youth to be heard and seen, and for the community to heal — that is at the heart of the War Childhood Museum’s mission.

My Father’s Gloves

My father’s gloves. I used to wear them with his military uniform, his body armor, and his helmet (a hard hat with headphones). He brought me these gloves at the beginning of the war.

They mean a lot to me. In them, I see a part of my father. He is 53 years old. He could have stayed at home, since he is in the reserves. But he decided that Article 54 of the Constitution—about the sacred duty of every citizen to protect the sovereignty and independence of our state—was a call he needed to follow. As a citizen, he went, unafraid; he did not flee abroad, did not give bribes. He set an example for me, showing me that, even in difficult moments, we all have a choice. I am proud of him.

Lorents, born 2008, Kyiv

First Days of War

I painted this picture a week after we arrived in Poland. The artist Waldek gathered together a group of people who wanted to express their emotions through painting. I decided to paint the background black, because for me that color is associated with the unknown—with what we cannot see and what will happen next. This is a heavy color. The nails and screws represent the dreadful forces above us that could kill us at any moment. This is my impression of the first days of the war—the feeling that there is no ground under our feet and that nothing can protect us.

Valeriia, b. 2004, Kharkiv

WCM Ukraine Educational Activities

Online Workshops for Parents and Teachers

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the museum has initiated a series of online workshops that cover various topics related to war childhood.

Online workshops on how to talk about the war. Led by a professional CBT psychologist trained according to European EABCT standards, these workshops cater to small groups of up to 15 participants. Key areas of focus include parent-child relationships, anxiety disorders, depression, self-esteem, and anger regulation.

Online workshops for parents. The museum runs tailored online workshops for parents across three age groups: children up to 4 years old, 4-9 years old, and teenagers aged 9-18 years old.

Open online workshop. The museum also organizes an open online workshop for individuals working with children, such as journalists and volunteers.

Workshops for Researchers

The War Childhood Museum in Ukraine is dedicated to sharing its expertise, knowledge, and methodologies in war documentation with other researchers. We conduct workshops to enhance researchers’ understanding of working with children’s stories while preventing retraumatization for both the children and the researchers. These workshops also aim to create a network of researchers who share our values.

For these workshops, we gather museum workers from various regions, civil society actors, and members of academia—from students to professors, both in Ukraine and abroad. Together, we discuss critical topics in oral history research and archiving under the conditions of ongoing war, guided by professionals in the field.

Art Therapy Workshops

WCM Ukraine organizes workshops (art therapy, public readings with prominent Ukrainian сhildren’s book authors) in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees in other countries (Poland/Romania).

The goal of these activities is to offer children a community of peers with similar experiences, allowing them to reflect on their experience, sense of agency and positively impact their resilience. Children can also contribute the pieces they produce during the workshops to the WCM’s collection.

Workshops at Schools and Exhibitions

The WCM in Ukraine organizes educational workshops in schools across Ukraine. During these workshops, children learn about oral history, the museum’s methodology, and read stories from the museum’s collection. Following this, there is an open discussion with students.

Apart from that, the museum team conducts educational workshops for different age groups during the exhibitions.

Comic Book “I Am (Not) OK”

The WCM in Ukraine has published a comic book titled “I Am (Not) OK,” aimed at children and youth. Its primary objective is to normalize seeking psychological help when facing challenges and to guide readers on selecting a professional psychologist.

The comic educates young readers on recognizing signs of a good and bad therapy session or how an unqualified psychologist might behave. It aims to empower young people with the ability to formulate questions and understand what to look for when choosing a specialist.

“I Am (Not) OK” uses language that is easily understandable for children and teenagers, while also providing practical advice for parents/ caregivers.

Documentary Theater Project

The documentary theater project “Ozymi,” brought together ten teenagers and young adults from cities like Kramatorsk, Kyiv, Lutsk, and beyond. Over a period exceeding two months, they worked closely with mentors to artistically convey their experiences of living in wartime conditions on stage.

The format of “Ozymi” encourages engagement and dialogue. The audience has the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings after the performance, ask questions, and hear the actors’ impressions of the preparation process and their emotions during the performance.

Partners and donors of the War Childhood Museum in Ukraine

Strategic partner: forumZFD

Porticus

Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU)

Peace of Mind Foundation

National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity

Donate to the WCM

Support the War Childhood Museum

The War Childhood Museum is an independent non-for-profit museum not funded by government. In addition to institutional donors and partners, the Museum has been receiving support from dedicated individuals and friends from its very opening. Become a friend and support the WCM.

Children Affected by Russian-Ukrainian War