Child-Friendly Spaces - a safe haven for the affected Yemeni children

UNICEF and its implementing partners provide Psychosocial Support (PSS) to conflict-affected children to help them in coping with the impact of the conflict.

Ali Qasim
UNICEF psycho-social support program, Aden -Yemen
UNICEF/YEMEN/2021/ ALfilastini
01 September 2021

The Protracted conflict in Yemen has turned the country into a living hell for millions of children and vulnerable groups. Six years of underdevelopment, attacks against civilian infrastructure and lack of salary payments for most civil servants have pushed basic services for Yemeni children to the brink. Amid all this adversity, Children all over Yemen are in dire need for social and mental support so they can survive and thrive.

One of UNICEF approaches in supporting these affected children is the Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS), these friendly Spaces play an instrumental role in giving those children the opportunity to heal the scars of the conflict, giving them a chance to express themselves freely and to practice their hobbies in a safe and secure environment.

In Aden city, UNICEF runs around 15 children friendly spaces reaching children in the local community, displaced children and children with disabilities.
Through these child-friendly spaces, children receive psycho-social support,  awareness on mine risks and other useful life skills.

This project represents one of the fruitful partnerships between UNICEF and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), in which we are aiming to reach more than 50,000 child in Aden city only.

UNICEF psycho-social support program, Aden -Yemen
UNICEF/YEMEN/2021/ ALfilastini
Rami Mohamed,5 years old, from Al- Tawahi District, who always attend the friendly space to learn, play and meet friends
UNICEF psycho-social support program, Aden -Yemen
UNICEF/YEMEN/2021/ ALfilastini
Displaced children from Alhodiedah attending a puppet theatre show in one of the Child-friendly spaces in DarSaad district, Aden.
UNICEF psycho-social support program, Aden -Yemen
UNICEF/YEMEN/2021/ ALfilastini
Remi Najeeb, who is a social worker playing with a little child in one of the UNICEF-supported child-friendly spaces in Aden city.
UNICEF psycho-social support program, Aden -Yemen
UNICEF/YEMEN/2021/ ALfilastini
Nora Mohamed, 11 years old, watching with happiness the puppet theatre show in one of the Child-friendly spaces in Aden city.

UNICEF and its implementing partners provide Psychosocial Support (PSS) to conflict-affected children to help them in coping with the impact of the conflict. Psycho-social support activities support the identification of children in need of assistance by referring them to appropriate services through trained social workers on case management, who are linked to the national case management and social work system.

In this field, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSrelief) contribution play a prominent role in UNICEF integral response, not only from a humanitarian perspective – in addressing the most urgent needs of children in Yemen – but also in supporting interventions with a development approach, such as the Child Protection programme, which provides psychosocial support to conflict-affected children and strives to protect children’s rights.