Data on the situation of children in the Middle East and North Africa
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
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.

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

Related topics

Education in emergencies
Humanitarian action and emergencies
Emergency relief and response
Supply
Emergency supplies
Egypt
Sudan

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