Learning and healing through play
How UNICEF’s safe learning spaces are supporting children disrupted by conflict
The conflict in Sudan has displaced millions of children within the country and across its borders. In Port Sudan thousands of displaced children and families have sought refuge. Children are struggling to find a place to play and interact.
UNICEF has set up child-friendly safe learning spaces that are providing safe environments where conflict affected and displaced girls and boys can meet, play, learn and just be children.
Abnaa Al-Shamal child-friendly safe learning space is one such space with a daily attendance of over 100 children. While here, children have access to integrated services like recreation, psychosocial support, critical for their mental wellbeing, digital learning, water, sanitation and hygiene and healthcare. These and more services are critical for children in emergencies.
Singing and dancing are some of the activities at the safe space. “Finger, finger finger,” the children repeat after their caretaker as they are educated on the different parts of the body. While they sing, play, dance, they learn.
Most activities at the spaces evolve around play critical to supporting the healing of most of these children who have experienced traumatic experiences in the past.
“They enjoy the games while they play,” Rasha Obaid, UNICEF Education Officer stressed.
UNICEF’s E-school in a box – supporting simplified digital learning at the safe learning spaces. In one corner, UNICEF has set up small tablets on wooden stands complete with simplified games, numbers, letters, English, Arabic languages, and other learning materials. With support from the caretakers, they learn through play and discovery.
“The digital learning includes games around psychosocial and mental health support,” Rasha emphasized.
The children clustered into three groups – play, drawing and digital learning – are engaged in different activities every day.
“I love learning Arabic and English. The more I play the more I learn, Hafsa Mahdy said.”
Supporting the mental wellbeing of many of these children whose lives have been disrupted by the ongoing conflict remains a priority for UNICEF and partners. UNICEF trained social workers are at the centres daily to provide psychosocial support to children. Listening attentively, they provide appropriate counselling of the young ones as guided through the training.
During emergencies, safe child friendly learning spaces such as these, offer vulnerable and often traumatized children the opportunity to safely play with their friends, including play-based learning, improving children’s psychological wellbeing, and building their resilience. While here, children can run, laugh, play, sing and dance together.
Thanks to funding from European Union, the Government of Canada and German cooperation/ KFW, UNICEF is setting up additional child-friendly safe learning spaces in stable states to benefit many more girls and boys displaced by the conflict in Sudan, and keep children and communities resilient.
