A Day of Warmth and Smiles at Mashhad’s Child-Friendly Space

On one of the coldest days of the year, December 19th, I finally had the opportunity to visit the Child-Friendly Space (CFS) in refugee-populated Golshahr, Mashhad. Seeing the joy and satisfaction of the children who were happily learning in every corner of the centre made me forget the severe cold and think more determinedly about continuing this activity.

Upon entering the centre, I saw young girls and boys drawing, playing, and working with the help of the centre’s educator. They seemed shy at first but soon resumed their activities in our presence. One little girl volunteered to play with her teacher, and gradually, her friends joined her. Another girl, clearly passionate about reading, immediately gravitated towards the bookshelf and immersed herself in a book. In the courtyard, an energetic boy ran towards the elevator, eager to return to the centre. Seeing these children in such good spirits indicated their satisfaction with the CFS.

Despite its small size, the space was thoughtfully designed and well-equipped, providing an attractive environment for children. Given the high number of visitors, the children are admitted in shifts based on age to maximise their attendance. Parents brought their children to participate in group games and educational classes, including pottery, playdough, painting crafts, while they themselves used other services of the centre. 

One of the beautifully designed rooms in the centre was the social work room, where families and children could receive social work and counselling services if needed. The social worker had decorated the room with the children’s drawings and said that the children had been competing to have their drawings displayed. I believe preparing the environment with the children’s cooperation is an effective way to gain children's and parents' trust in counselling and social work services, which fortunately was well-considered in this centre. The centre had two child specialist social workers and one social worker providing services to parents. Over the past few months, they had successfully conducted 12 parenting sessions for 42 mothers, with positive feedback and requests for similar sessions for fathers.  

This facility was established through a partnership between UNICEF, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and with the generous support of the German government and EU Humanitarian Aid. It is co-managed by the NRC and a local NGO, the Society for Recovery Support (SRS). Currently, four UNICEF-supported CFSs are active in highly refugee-populated areas providing services to 1,876 children .

My three-hour visit to the Golshahr CFS was a truly rewarding experience. Witnessing the positive impact of the joint efforts of UNICEF and its partners on the lives of these children strengthened my belief in the organisation's mission.