Charities Address Unique Needs of Children in Iraq

Childhood should be a time for playing games and for laughter. For an estimated 60 million children over the past decade, however, childhood has meant fleeing their homes in the midst of death and violence. These children are refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), forced from their homes by war, natural and manmade disasters, persecution and economic chaos. Currently, an estimated 20 million children and adolescents are living in makeshift camps around the world.

Their lives have been turned upside down, and everything that was familiar and comforting has been lost. To help these children recover, member charities supplement their emergency aid by operating specific areas as child-friendly spaces. In these spaces, which may be nothing more than a designated area, children can establish routines that allow them to regain their sense of security.

Photo: © UNICEF Syria/2008/Rashidi

An Iraqi girl draws at a child-friendly space for refugee children in Jaramana, Syria.

Such areas allow children to resume their schooling. They can play games and laugh again. They can also overcome their trauma through counseling, art and music. They can look to the future with hope.

Recognizing the importance of such safe places, member charities make them a priority. For example, in Iraq, U.S. Fund for UNICEF is building child-friendly spaces for children and women whose homes have been destroyed in the ongoing violence. At the centers, staffers offer psychosocial counseling, help reunite families, assist detained children and educate them about the dangers of mines and explosive devices.

As part of its goal to help local communities meet their immediate needs while providing a solid foundation for the future, Mercy Corps operates special programs for youth. It promotes creativity and community engagement among youth through such activities as theater production, art lessons, awareness campaigns and sports.

In neighboring Jordan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that only 10,000 of the 250,000 school-age Iraqi refugees are attending school. Both World Vision and Save the Children are working with local officials and partners to develop safe havens for children to play, learn and heal, offering informal education, counseling, peace-building skills, food distributions and health care programs. "Getting displaced children into school can play a key role in helping them adjust to their new surroundings and give them hope for the future," says Dennis Walto of Save the Children Jordan.