Hope and safety

12-year-old Anfal Adel and her peers engage in club activities including debates at Algharbia Safe Learning Space located in Gedaref State in the Eastern part of Sudan. 

The safe space set up by Jedian organization with UNICEF support, hosts more than 248 displaced girls and boys like Anfal daily. Like most of her peers, Anfal fled from her home in Khartoum at the start of the ongoing conflict and today together with her family, they have settled in Gedaref. 

Sudan currently has the highest number of internally displaced people with over 5 million people on the move within the country – half of them are children. 

The fateful day

It all started as a calm normal day. Early that morning Anfal and her father visited a nearby market to buy new clothes. The long-awaited Eid celebrations were around the corner and like before, the children always got new clothes. Sadly, everything turned around so fast into the most traumatic day she has witnessed. 

The echoes of gunshots and the chaos of a bustling market on that day, April 15, 2023, remain in her memory, serving as a haunting reminder of the terror she and her family endured. But the psychosocial support and activities at the safe learning space are helping. 

Safe spaces for children during conflict

In Gedaref, now home to thousands of displaced children and families, UNICEF and partners have set up safe learning spaces where children can access counselling services, play, laugh, share, and heal from past traumatic experiences.

Anfal is among the children that frequent Algharbia Safe Learning Space (SLS) located in Alfashaga locality. While the beginning was hard, today Anfal can share her story with ease.

"My family and I came to Gedaref after leaving Khartoum. It was a terrifying experience,” Anfal recalled.

With the support of trained facilitators, conflict affected girls and boys at the safe learning space including Anfal can access psychosocial support to aid their healing. While here, they also engage in child friendly activities and games delivered through clubs. 

“I come here daily to learn and participate in recreational activities. I also have the privilege of leading the cultural club, which consists of 15 members. In our club, we engage in various activities like drama, singing, dancing, library sessions, exhibitions, and organizing events like competitions. Through these activities, I've been able to forget the past.”

“I have made new friends here. We learn together, have fun, and genuinely care for each other,” Anfal shared. 

Through club activities, Anfal and her peers organize events that not only showcase their newfound talents but also foster a sense of unity and belonging among displaced children and young people. 

As she embarks on the healing journey, Anfal, radiates hope and resilience. In the embrace of her new friends, they not only learn together but also laugh, sing, dance, and share their dreams. 

During emergencies, UNICEF-supported safe learning spaces offer psychosocial support, equipping children with information and skills to cope with trauma as well as provide safe spaces where children can just be children. 

Since the onset of the conflict, UNICEF has established over 460 safe learning spaces (in East Darfur, Gedaref, Kassala, Red Sea, South Darfur, South Kordofan and White Nile) designed to support children’s psychosocial wellbeing while also safeguarding them against the grave risks of exploitation, abuse, and involuntary recruitment and use by armed groups or armed forces. These spaces are supplied with appropriate learning and recreational materials and skilled facilitators. To date, over 1,600 facilitators have been trained and equipped with the essential skills to support tens of thousands of children in their healing process.