My Child Lebensborn inspires Children Born of War Project

The Norway-based foundation Children Born of War Project works at the academic, policy, and community level to increase awareness, justice and evidence on CBOW – children born by local women and fathered by a foreign/enemy soldier during and after conflict. The foundation brings together individuals and organizations to enhance the visibility and protection of children born of war worldwide.

Development of the project began in 2016 and is based on the unique collaboration between Elin Festøy and Catharina Bøhler, creators of the game My Child Lebensborn and Ingvill Constanze Mochmann, managing director and chairwoman of the foundation.

My Child Lebensborn tells the story of children born of German soldiers and local women in occupied countries during the Second World War, and was developed in collaboration with Norwegian Lebensborn-children. The game is based on accurate historical accounts. So far, the game has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and won the 2019 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for “Game Beyond Entertainment.”

“After over 20 years of being strongly engaged in establishing the research field of children born of war, it is a great pleasure for me to be part of a foundation that will work specifically to support and advocate for these children who are often overlooked in conflict and post-conflict,” says Ingvill Constanze Mochmann.

“We are immensely proud to be able to present a new foundation for this cause, that we have now established together with the leading research community on CBOW. We have gathered an impressive board with members who have excellent experience in research and advocacy on CBOW, gender and war. Teknopilot AS and Sarepta Studio AS are delighted to be able to donate one million Norwegian kroner to the establishment of this foundation,” says Elin Festøy, producer at Teknopilot AS.

Learn more about the Children Born of War Project foundation at www.cbowproject.org.