The Museum houses an extensive collection of artifacts along with audio and video testimonies from individuals whose childhoods were affected by war. We warmly invite you to contribute your personal story, joining our collective effort to amplify the voices of children affected by conflicts worldwide.
Personal Belongings
Everyone has an item that reminds them of their childhood; so do people whose childhoods were affected by war. The War Childhood Museum collects books, letters, old photographs, improvised pieces of cloth, broken toys, or any other cherished items preserved to this day.
The true value of these objects lies in the personal experiences they represent. Each item is accompanied by a unique personal story, illustrating the lived experiences of their owners.
Video and Audio Testimonies
In addition to collecting wartime memorabilia, the War Childhood Museum also maintains an archive of audio and video testimonies.
These testimonies offer insights into the everyday lives of children during wartime, covering aspects such as family life, housing, living conditions, the presence of danger, experiences with shelling and sniper fire, displacement and life as a refugee, schooling, play and games, friendships, leisure activities, health, injuries, and significant losses experienced during the war.
How to Take Part in Our Collection?
If you’re thinking about contributing an object to the Museum or recording an interview with us, we warmly invite you to complete the form below. Your participation helps preserve the memories and experiences of childhoods affected by war. Alternatively, you can send your information to info@warchildhood.org.
What Are the Next Steps?
We aim to respond within 7 days. Please do not send or deliver any objects until we confirm that we can accept them. Once your donation offer is confirmed, we will arrange a meeting, either in person or online, to discuss the necessary steps. We will also coordinate the delivery of the object to our headquarters or through alternative methods. Please note that we will need to have consent forms and transfer of ownership paperwork completed before we can officially accept any objects. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
If Your Donation is Accepted
Donated materials will be preserved in the Museum archive in line with the highest museum industry standards. They can be featured in our permanent, traveling, or temporary pop-up exhibitions, used in educational workshops, or loaned to other accredited institutions.
Donated materials will also be accessible for research purposes to curators, students, and researchers, always respecting data protection and privacy standards, as well as the preferences you state in the forms or during subsequent conversations. We always respect data protection and privacy standards as well as the preferences you state.
What if the Object is Not Accepted?
While we deeply appreciate every offer, we regret that we can’t accept all objects. Several reasons may prevent us from doing so:
- The current ownership of the objects is unknown or could be disputed.
- Objects are hazardous, including firearms, items containing asbestos, and materials that are poisonous, carcinogenic, or radioactive.
- The submission consists of photocopies or scans of original documents, except in rare circumstances.
- Due to limited space in our archive, we may not be able to accept items that exceed a certain size.
If we can’t accept your object for our collection, we’ll do our best to refer you to another institution that might be able to accommodate it.