Why safe spaces for kids are changing families?

1,882,391 is the total number of internally displaced people in Burkina Faso at the end of 2022. Internal migration due to conflict has resulted in the displacement of 287,995 children under the age of 15 in the Sahel region, who have fled their villages threatened by armed groups to find themselves without resources in an unfamiliar environment.

Since 2022, the Joining Forces for Child Protection in Emergencies (JF-CPiE) project has been operating in the Sahel region to rebuild a stable living environment for these uprooted families.

Our teams currently support almost 7,000 children through child-friendly spaces (CFS), psycho-social follow-up sessions and awareness-raising sessions on children’s rights, positive parenting and hygiene, along with the distribution of dignity kits.

Since the conflict took root in 2018, Burkina Faso has lost control of 40% of its territory. Many families like Soraya’s* were forced to leave their village to save their lives. “I come from the village of Baliata in the province of Oudalan in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. After facing intimidation followed by assassinations in my village by armed groups, I fled my village with my parents, my father, my mother, my three older brothers and my older sister, to seek refuge in the IDP [Internally Displaced Persons] sites on the outskirts of Gorom-Gorom”, says Soraya.

Like many other families, her arrival in a new environment, the lack of resources and her move to a site for displaced persons made her lose her bearings and made her feel even more insecure. “When we arrived at the IDP site I was stressed and afraid of people. I had nightmares. Life had become different for me. My father doesn’t work and doesn’t farm any more, while my mother sells groundnuts by the side of the road to provide us with something to eat in the evening” says Soraya.

Following her settlement at this IDP site, in the area covered by the JF-CPiE project, our teams were able to get to know her and help her and her family to rebuild an environment in which she feels safe.

“My mother and I were lucky enough to benefit from JF-CPiE activities, such as educational talks on self-esteem and self-confidence, children’s rights and menstrual hygiene management. I also received dignity kits, and I take part in activities in child-friendly spaces. Since I started attending the sessions, I’ve learnt to be clean, to think in a positive way and to look after my parents. I’ve been able to socialise with other teenagers and make friends. Also, since Mum started the sessions, she’s not like she was before. For example, she spends more time with us. She tells us funny stories and encourages us in everything we do. What really impressed me was that she stopped scolding me for mistakes I’d made and started engaging in dialogue instead” says Soraya.

Like other parents, Soraya’s family have taken part in various awareness-raising and positive parenting support sessions to help them recreate a bond with their children and protect them in an environment where the family is becoming the fundamental pillar of their emotional stability.

Like Soraya and her family, Farida* had to flee her native village with her widowed mother and brothers to the town of Djibo in the Sahel region after her entire village was threatened with massacre if they did not leave within 72 hours. Once in the town, she was able to move in with them in a prefabricated tent in sector 4 of Djibo. There she was able to start attending the child-friendly space set up by the JF-CPiE project teams. Farida remembers her experience: “The child-friendly space enabled me to make friends, to become more receptive thanks to the advice and the life skills I’ve learnt. Thanks to the various educational activities, I’ve been able to get away from my family worries and stress. The fact that I go to the child friendly spaces helps me to be less brooding and to learn from others.”

“Sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene was vital for me. I can now do whatever I want at any time without any shame” says Farida

Through her participation in psycho-social support sessions, Farida has been targeted by the distribution of dignity kits enabling young girls to take better care of their hygiene during menstruation and to accompany their families with everyday objects. “The dignity kits were a great help to me because most of the items I received, such as soap, sanitary pads, underwear, loincloths and a kettle, were out of stock on the market in the town of Djibo, and we didn’t even have the resources to buy them if they had been available. I can tell you that before the kit was donated, I and the members of my family were showering without soap. I didn’t have any underwear, so you have to understand that I went to the Children Safe Space in just a loincloth. Soap, underwear and sanitary pads allowed me to be clean, which was a luxury for me. I remember just yesterday that the lack of access to sanitary pads meant that I had to stay at home during the time of my periods. I didn’t feel comfortable doing housework or playing with my friends at those times. I can also add that the awareness-raising I received on the use of the kits and particularly on sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene was vital for me. I can now do whatever I want at any time without any shame. The solar lamp is and remains our one and only source of light at home. Before, I and my brothers used the torches you see here to learn our lessons.” says Farida.

Thanks to the efforts of our field teams, 400 young girls have already received dignity kits and 2,300 children are receiving psycho-social support. Our teams are already helping 4,247 children to learn about their rights, and accompany 50 parents to learn about best practices to help them regain control of their lives.

Together, we are moving forward every day, step by step, to recreate a more secure and stable environment in which their children can flourish.

*Not her real name.

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