Learning through play

Arthur, Matvey, and Kristina sit down, fasten their seat belts, and put on virtual reality glasses. They are about to watch 3D cartoons that teach transportation safety rules. Children learn best through play. That is why the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Belarus is creating educational play spaces for children across the country, where safe behavior skills can be developed in an engaging and interactive way. In February, UNICEF Belarus supported the production of 3D cartoons at the MES Safety Center in Minsk, as well as the opening of a new educational play area at the Pinsk City Hospital.

Child injuries are one of the leading causes of death among children worldwide. Approximately one million children under the age of 18 die each year, and tens of millions require specialized medical care.

In Belarus, among children aged one to four, injuries from road accidents, accidents, trauma, and poisoning are the leading cause of death (47%), significantly surpassing other causes. In many cases, injuries lead to disability.

Some of the most common causes of injuries include falls, household accidents, drowning, and burns. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, from 2019 to 2023, there have been 30 registered cases of child fatalities due to burns in Belarus.

The MES and UNICEF in Belarus have been collaborating for many years to prevent child fatalities and injuries. This partnership involves joint awareness campaigns as well as efforts to develop safe and responsible behavior skills among children and parents.

To cultivate these skills, since 2011, MES Belarus has been expanding a network of Safety Education Centers, with active support from UNICEF. More recently, MES has begun opening educational play spaces in children’s hospitals and schools.

Using innovative technologies and simulator trainers, visitors to the Centers have the opportunity to practice practical skills such as rescuing people, using primary firefighting equipment, calling emergency services, evacuating from smoke-filled rooms, and more. Additionally, the Centers provide training on safe behavior in situations that occur at home and on the street.

In 2021, UNICEF Belarus donated high-tech equipment and software to the MES Safety Center in Novopolotsk. In 2025, UNICEF supported the creation of video clips broadcast through virtual reality glasses at the "Transport Safety" area of the MES Safety Center in Minsk and helped open an educational play space in Pinsk.

The "Transport Safety" area is designed to practice safe behavior rules while using transport and at transport infrastructure facilities. Its main feature is a life-sized model of an electric train carriage. Inside the carriage, visitors learn safety rules not only for railway carriages but also for the metro, bus, and airplane through videos and virtual reality technology. To simulate emergency situations in the carriage, additional components are used that imitate the consequences of a head-on collision and smoke filling the cabin.

Additionally, with the support of UNICEF, an educational play space was opened in February at the Pinsk City Children's Hospital. This room provides an opportunity to learn life safety principles through play. Children from across the district are admitted to the Pinsk hospital and often spend significant time in the educational room during their rehabilitation, unobtrusively learning simple rules that can save lives. Periodic sessions with MES staff will also be held here.

“Children in the hospital spend some time alone, without parents or friends. But in rooms like these, they come together, play together, and are less left alone with their thoughts about illness,” hospital staff noted.

MES plans to create educational play spaces in every educational institution.