Photo essay

Moments of fun amid upheaval and uncertainty

A UNICEF-supported child-friendly space in Egypt is providing support for children who have fled Sudan

Dalia Younis

تجربة فراس في أول أيام عمل نادي الأسرة الذي تم إنشاؤه بشكل عاجل في كركر

UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Ahmed Mostafa

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العربية

07 May 2023

Today was the most fun that two-year-old Feras has had in days, if not weeks. After an arduous journey with his parents, Feras has just spent the day spent at a child-friendly space established at a bus station near Egypt’s border with Sudan.

The temporary space was created to support some of the thousands of displaced families who have fled intensifying violence in Sudan. Countless families are now on the move in search of safety in Sudan and beyond the country’s borders.

UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Ahmed Mostafa

Feras’s father says the family had little choice but to leave their home and to look for safety as the fighting continued. “We felt threatened and at risk of being robbed. There was gunfire all around and it was terrifying our children,” he says. “There was no electricity, water, or food in homes. Chaos was everywhere. So we decided to flee for our lives.”

UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Ahmed Mostafa

Karkar is the last stop in Egypt for buses coming from Sudan. At this point, displaced families are required to make additional arrangements for onward journeys to other cities, such as Aswan or Cairo. But with wait times for the next leg of these journeys of hours or even days, some families are staying on in Karkar to try to find a way to make ends meet.

UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Ahmed Mostafa

Feras’s family is one of those who have decided to stay, for the time being. His dad has taken a job at the bus station but needed somewhere for his son to go while he worked. So he was excited to hear about the UNICEF-supported child friendly space being set up at the bus station in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities and the Ministry of Health and Population. Safe spaces like this one provide psychosocial support to displaced children and their families, giving children a place where they can play, meet other children, and feel a small sense of normalcy despite the upheaval and chaos around them.

UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Ahmed Mostafa

Feras’s father says he’s worried about family members whom he has lost contact with since they fled, but he’s grateful for the respite provided by the bus station’s safe space. “I really appreciate the space. My son is enjoying today.”

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