The War Childhood Museum started operating in Ukraine in 2020. Since the beginning it has been supported by its key partner, forumZFD. Learn more about the partnership as well as the plans for the future cooperation.
forumZFD Presence in Ukraine
forumZFD, an International Non-Governmental Organization founded in 1996, operates in eleven countries across Europe, the Middle East, and South East Asia. In Ukraine, forumZFD established its programme office in Kyiv in the summer of 2017 and later expanded to Odesa in early 2018.
forumZFD works in different countries on the topics of non-violent conflict transformation, dialogue, peace education, and dealing with the past. Therefore, we support different projects aimed at shaping culture of remembrance through the personal stories of people and their conflict related experiences.
Zornitsa Popova-Glodzhani, forumZFD Country Director in Ukraine
Partnership Between forumZFD and WCM in Ukraine
“forumZFD was familiar with the War Childhood Museum since the first days of its work in Sarajevo. However, personal-level contacts also played a great role in the establishment of the partnership in Ukraine.” says Aziz Demirdzhaiev, forumZFD Ukraine Projects Manager.
During his visit to the forumZFD regional office in BiH in 2019, his colleagues suggested visiting the War Childhood Museum. The visit led to a meeting with representatives of the museum, who shared their plans to begin a project in Ukraine.
The WCM started to operate in Ukraine in 2020 and its work was initially focused on documenting the experiences of children and youth whose lives were affected by the war in eastern Ukraine and the temporary occupation of Crimea that started in 2014. The first major exhibition was held in Kyiv in 2021.
The whole process, including research, expanding collection and exhibition production, was supported by forumZFD.
Svitlana Osipchuk, Project Director at the War Childhood Museum Ukraine
The exhibition was visited by more than 1,100 people, including Kyiv residents, local officials and government representatives, colleagues from other museums, local and foreign tourists, and project contributors. It was also widely covered by Ukrainian and international media. Legendary war journalist Anthony Loyd, who wrote about the exhibition for The Times, said that “this international expansion puts the WCM at the forefront of projects examining the impact of war on children”.
Cooperation After the Full-Scale Invasion
Despite the full-scale invasion that started on February 24, 2022, the museum’s staff has been continuing research and documentation activities. WCM’s team has been dedicated to collecting testimonies from all regions of Ukraine, as well as from Ukrainian refugees.
Today, our archive comprises over 400 interviews and more than 500 objects. It stands as one of the rare collections, if not the only one, dedicated solely to children’s experiences during the war in Ukraine.
Svitlana Osipchuk, Project Director at the War Childhood Museum Ukraine
Besides offering a platform for children and youth affected by war to share their stories, the museum also offers a number of educational online and offline activities.
Zornitsa Popova-Glodzhani points out other important aspects of the museum’s work for Ukrainian society during the full-scale invasion. “Psychological support activities allow the children and parents who experienced war to heal and develop their resilience, adapt, and better cope with the harsh reality that the country has faced in the last years.”
According to forumZFD Country Director in Ukraine, forumZFD’s approach to collaborating with local organizations is focused on a third-party approach, fostering the development of a strong and honest partnership between the parties involved. It is reflected in the collaborative planning of activities, implementation of project events, and subsequent reflection, analysis and learning. “The importance of such a partnership format was confirmed throughout the turbulent years of invasion and war that allowed WCM and forumZFD to preserve the projects’ achievements, rapidly adapt to the new challenges, and continue activities implementation.” she stresses out.
Plans for the Future
The War Childhood Museum’s scope of work in Ukraine is expanding, yet Svitlana Osipchuk emphasizes that collecting and archiving testimonies as well as objects from children affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine remain the core and most crucial activities of the museum.
The WCM and forumZFD will continue to work together in Ukraine to achieve shared goals. The museum staff is currently preparing an upcoming major exhibition that will be held in Kyiv this summer. It aims to include children’s voices into the culture of remembrance surrounding the ongoing war and to demonstrate to a broader audience that children’s perspectives go way beyond just being victims in this conflict.
The plans for the future also include the continuation of educational activities and the establishment of a permanent space in Kyiv for the museum. “After ten years of developing methodologies and approaches, the WCM is now scaling its work internationally. Due to the large-scale war and the fact we have an office in Kyiv, our work in Ukraine remains central to our organization’s mission”, states Jasminko Halilovic, Founder and Director-General of the WCM. And he adds:
The permanent museum will generate a lasting and positive impact in Ukrainian society. The heart of that museum will be our Ukrainian collection. And it would not have been possible to develop it over the last four years without continuous support from forumZFD and its team. I am personally very grateful for that.
Jasminko Halilovic, Founder and Director-General of the WCM
Zornitsa Popova-Glodzhani highlights that the museum’s activities are compatible with the long-term goals of forumZFD in Ukraine in the field of dealing with the past, which is considered an important component of the organization’s programme in the country and is an actual topic in Ukrainian society now. She adds:
Cooperation with WCM allows us to implement in Ukraine instruments of memorialization that are innovative, human-centric, and trauma sensitive. WCM’s experience in the topic and professional approach makes them one of the strategic partners for forumZFD in Ukraine.
Zornitsa Popova-Glodzhani, forumZFD Country Director in Ukraine
