What does it mean to be a refugee?
Torn From Home: My Life as a Refugee encourages young visitors to answer this question through the eyes of refugee children. From the experience of losing home, to registering at a camp, to starting over in a new country, visitors are asked to consider how it might feel to flee your home and leave everything behind -- and face the future with uncertainty and hope.

Exhibit Areas

Seven exhibit areas guide the visitor's experience:

	Home Children stand proudly in front of their homes and present visitors with a snapshot of life before they became refugees. A Congolese boy shares the moment when his family was forced to flee their home to find safety. back to top
Losing Home What is a refugee? Where are we going? What will happen to me and my family? What can we take with us? Two interactive video units help answer these questions. A large world map highlights refugee crises and affected populations. A gallery of refugee portraits and artwork personalizes the stories of the nearly 10 million children displaced throughout the world. back to top
	Camp Registration Camp Registration offers an immersive look into the registration and food distribution process in a refugee camp. Identify with a real refugee by donning a registration bracelet. With the Daily Nutrition interactive, compare the nutritional value of a refugee's daily rations to the daily food of an American child. Hear a young Iraqi girl describes the confusion of arriving at a refugee camp. back to top
Refugee Camp Explore how individual families live within a camp and look at how the basic needs of shelter, water, bathrooms, and hygiene are met. Build a make-shift shelter using few materials. A collection of hand-made toys illustrates the importance of play and how refugee children creatively spin toys from basic scraps. Hear a Sudanese girl describe her family's new home. back to top
	Medical Clinic The Medical Clinic provides insight to the dangerous health conditions experienced by many refugees. Learn about the tools used by medical aid workers to help treat refugee children in the field. Are you getting enough food to eat? Use the bracelet of life to assess your nutritional health. Hear a Chechnyan girl describe some of the health problems faced by refugees. back to top
School An earthen school setting reflects the limited resources available within a refugee camp. Using the Can I Go To School mazes, navigate your way through real-life obstacles that may prevent some refugee children from attending school. back to top
	Going Home? What happens to refugees after they leave the camp? Hear one Burmese boy's hope for the future and learn about the common outcomes for most refugees. Before leaving, share your reflections about the exhibit through an interactive video kiosk. A resource center provides additional information about aid organizations and educational materials for families wanting to learn more. back to top