Through recreational activities, child protection workers are helping build resilience among children affected by unrest in Yemen.
In Yemen, children make up 60 per cent of the more than 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the southern part of the country. The overwhelming majority of these children are dealing with the emotional and mental consequences of ongoing unrest in Yemen.
Since February of this year, people in Yemen have witnessed and experienced various forms of unrest, violence and displacement. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands have been injured. A recently-released report by the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights found that children, likewise, have been subject to killings and injury among other human rights abuses.
According to another report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), conflict continues in Yemen, particularly in the governorates of Arhab and Abyan. Access to many parts of the country continues to be a challenge.
"Almost all child IDPs in the south had distress or trauma upon their arrival in areas of displacement," said Geert Cappelaere, the in-country representative for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Some of the symptoms of this kind of trauma include unintentional urination, bed-wetting and nightmares. These symptoms were exhibited in children who came from Abyan to the governorates of Aden and Lahj. This was confirmed by Ahmad al-Qurashi, who is the chairman of Seyaj Organization for Childhood Protection, to the IRIN.
At least 8,773 children from Aden, Lahj, Ibb, Hodeidah, Taiz and Sana’a have been affected by the unrest, stated the OCHA in a report released two weeks ago. Another 3,780 members of the IDP community have been given training on how to recognize symptoms of distress among young IDPs.
Affected children themselves have been provided with access to recreational activities including sports, arts and crafts. Though formal studies have not yet confirmed the effects of this intervention, child welfare workers note that they have had a positive effect on participating children's psychological well-being. According to one UNICEF child protection specialist, most children (70 per cent) heal through a normal process of play and improvements in their living environments. A main strategy behind the recreational activities is to improve resilience.
"Nightmares and bed-wetting, which affected the children when they had just arrived from Abyan, have decreased," said Save The Children Sweden Advocacy and Communication Manager, Stina Carlsson, to the IRIN.
Humanitarian actors have put $200,000 into child-friendly spaces to help hundreds of displaced children, who are now able to play football, volleyball, puzzles, skipping, puppet theatre and several other activities. There are 45 child-friendly spaces in two IDP settlements (17 in Lahj and 28 in Aden), that have helped 2,957 children since June. Each child friendly centre is managed by local volunteers.
To address concerns, about education a “Back-to-School” campaign has seen 46,812 school bags dispatched to the Sa'adah region, with the aim of eventually dispatching 70,000. A teacher training plan is also in the works.
It is expected that the next Humanitarian Country Team report by the OCHA Yemen office will be published sometime soon, as the previous report indicated that an update would be available on or around today's date.
Source: SOS Children Villages Canada
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