Connecting the dots to give children a safe, stimulating environment
To break vicious cycles—of fear, prejudice, helplessness—one needs a ring of hope.
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To break vicious cycles—of fear, prejudice, helplessness—one needs a ring of hope. In Jammu and Kashmir, where frequent episodes of violence and unrest mar everyday life and have a deep impact on children, there are two elements that make this ring of hope—UNICEF and IKEA Foundation-supported Child Friendly Spaces and Child Friendly Schools.
Imagine the desperation a child must feel to even think of taking his own life, let alone attempt it. Nabeel*, a bright, 18-year-old boy, found himself in such a situation one year ago and attempted suicide. Fortunately, he was saved and after he returned home from hospital he was persuaded to attend the Child Friendly Space (CFS) in his village, Rakh-i-Arath in Bemina, Srinagar. One year on, not only did this space—an initiative supported by UNICEF and the IKEA Foundation—help him heal, but it also boosted his confidence to take on the responsibility of facilitating the centre’s activities. As life slowly came back to normal and hope returned for a more fulfilled future, he could once again focus on his academics in school.
Community-based Child Protection
Child Friendly Spaces is an important component of child protection programme in Jammu and Kashmir. It seeks to address violence and abuse across 200 locations spread over seven districts of the Kashmir valley.
The staff—teacher, counsellor, community mobilize and volunteer—trained by UNICEF and its partner, with the support of IKEA Foundation—conduct sessions on challenges that children may face like drug abuse, child marriage, coping with stress, positive reinforcements, changes in their body during adolescence and the concept of safe/comfortable touch. Counsellors at these centres say they often identify stress-related cases and counsel those children accordingly, but if further intervention is required—for instance, a clinical psychologist— they link them with mental health professionals’ referral system. UNICEF has also signed an agreement with IMHANS (Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) for responding to such referrals both at state and district health facilities.
“CFS is community-based child protection programme,” said Salim Wani of KFORD, UNICEF’s partner organization which implements CFS programme in 100 locations across four districts in the State. This means there is involvement of the community in caring for the child. Parents, the local religious leader (imam of the mosque) and other key influencers of the community are kept in the loop of the centre’s activities and at times, also counselled. For example, parents are counselled on positive parenting.
A space where a child can be… a child
For children, the most attractive feature of such a space in their vicinity is the freedom to express themselves.
They have access to art supplies and sports kits, and can sing, dance or play with anyone or everyone without fear of being judged. Iqra Qayoom, counsellor at the Rakh-i-Arath CFS, said that when Nabeel came to the centre after the traumatic episode, he took some time to open up to others around him. Nabeel, she said, was adopted by his uncle and aunt. The young boy was unhappy with the arrangement, but the final straw was when suspicions were raised about an illicit relationship between him and his aunt. Helpless, it drove him to attempt suicide.
Nabeel had attended the CFS for about a month before the incident. Once he was back from the hospital, the CFS community mobilizer encouraged him to start attending once again. From refusing to talk to anyone, he has now accepted that the episode is in his “past” and that he is hopeful of a bright future.
“At the centre, he was given the responsibility of facilitating the activities for children. He started taking part in activities and as his confidence grew, he took on the role of the secondary facilitator.” said Iqra.
“CFS has given hope in my aimless life,” Nabeel said.
He has now returned home to his parents, has joined the National Cadet Corps and has a renewed interest in study. He is in Class 12.
Fuelling a renewed interest in learning
In the same way the CFS helped Nabeel renew his interest in school, there have also been instances when CFS has helped identify drop-out children and persuaded them to go back to school. “There have been at least four cases in which CFS has helped bring drop-out children back to school,” KFORD’s Salim said.
In another UNICEF and IKEA Foundation-supported initiative of Child Friendly Schools, there are similar exercises of bringing out-of-school children back into the fold by teachers. Mohammad Ashraf Dar, teacher at the government middle school in Khospora which has been turned into a Child Friendly School since 2016, said that he visits at least five households every morning before school to ensure that the “children come to school”. If any child stops coming to class, the teacher visits the family to know the reason and convinces them to send her/him to school.
Ruksana, a 10-year-old girl from Khospora in the Badgam district was one such drop-out child whose parents were convinced to send her back to school with promises that the school will take care of her education fee, uniform, and books.
“I am happy because my teachers teach in an interesting manner. It’s like learning while playing,” she said.
The idea of a model Child Friendly School is to encourage an enabling learning environment—through teachers training on innovative teaching methods and activity-based learning, an interesting education kit for English and mathematics, a sports kit, and ensuring a safe environment where children can thrive. Like Child Friendly Spaces demarcate a place within the community where children can feel safe and thrive, Child Friendly Schools demonstrate an ideal learning atmosphere in a secure environment. The idea behind these interventions by UNICEF is to give children a safe, enabling space within the world they live in and despite the constraints they face in everyday life. It is to help children realize their own potential and hope for a better future.
In Jammu and Kashmir, 250 Government-run schools are functioning as model Child Friendly Schools with support from IKEA Foundation. Not only have teachers of such schools admitted to a sharp increase in attendance of children in class, but also in a renewed vigour in themselves.
“The training from UNICEF has helped us break the shackles of traditional methods of teaching and adopt new, innovative methods that make the classroom come alive,” said Ashraf Dar. As compared to traditional methods, activity-based teaching has helped children “grasp concepts better”, the teacher added, thereby laying a strong foundation for future learning.
“The sports kit has also helped generate interest in children. All this has helped build a bond of trust between teachers and students, so we hope this programme continues,” his colleague, Peerzada Javed Dar added.
