“My heart is filled with joy when I am in this child-friendly space. It feels like I should not go back home because I find so much peace, joy and love here. It is like a school to me,” Tambua Natale.
By Stephen Angelo Kazi | JF-CPIE Child Protection officer, Tambura
Tambua Natale, nicknamed Brown, is an 8-year-old albino boy born on February 9, 2016 in Nazereda village in Tambura County, South Sudan. He is in a family of eight children. He is an orphan who is being taken care of by his aunt after the death of his parents. Tambura County, which was once a peaceful community, experienced a experienced a period of intense conflict and violence in 2021 that claimed the lives of many people, including Brown’s friends (children). These traumatic events left deep scars on children, affecting their emotional well-being and overall holistic development.
“I saw very many traumatic bad things with my eyes; my friends were murdered, their parents were slaughtered, and houses were burned, but now I come to child-friendly space to play, dance, and have fun,” Brown recalls the awful scenes that he saw during the conflict in Tambura.
In South Sudan, persons living with albinism suffers the most from all sorts of discrimination because of their skin color. In Western Equatoria, for example, some people consider them as foreigners, others claim that Albinos do not die they just disappear and reappear elsewhere. This is even worse for the children living with the condition. Fellow children mock and bully them, which has hindered most of them from access education and recreation centres. Brown’s friends, for example, always ask him mockery questions like “where are you from?
Recognising the urgent need for psychosocial support activities and psychological support, World Vision with funding from Joining Forces for Child Protection in Emergence established eight (8) Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) in Tambura and Source Yubu, Munuki, and Mangalla Payams of Western Equatoria and Central Equatoria states in December 2022. The CFS aimed at creating a nurturing environment where children like Brown could heal, recover, and regain a sense of being normal amidst the aftermath of the conflicts and stigma.
Brown finds comfort in the child-friendly space (CFS), a safe haven away from the reminders of violence and discrimination. This is because the World Vision-trained and friendly animators provide a conducive and supportive atmosphere, fostering trust and building relationships with the children as they take access to the CFS as their own.
Brown is such a playful child; however, sun sensitivity drove him to indoor activities and how he made child-friendly space (CFS) his home, which has helped him and other children recover. His love of dancing cannot be deterred by the heat of the sun. He is determined to become the best dancer and entertainer, having fun and playing with his friends.
Through structured activities like art therapy (drawing), group discussions, storytelling, and play, Brown had a platform to express his emotions, share his experiences, and learn healthy coping mechanisms. These activities helped him process his grief, anger, and sadness, gradually restoring his emotional well-being.
The CFS also offered educational support, ensuring that children did not miss out on their education despite the disruptions caused by the conflicts. Brown received access to age-appropriate learning materials and participated in catch-up classes (Counting, Numbers and alphabets), helping him regain his academic progress.
Brown formed strong bonds with other children in the CFS who had experienced similar traumas. Through shared experiences and mutual support, they became a close-knit group, offering each other comfort and understanding.
“Initially, we were warned by parents to never mix children from other tribes. If a child is from the Azande community, for example, they were told not to speak Balanda language or play with children from the Balanda community, and the children from the Balanda community were told the same, but because of CFS activities, we now sing, play, and dance together,”
The child-friendly space (CFS) provided opportunities for children from either side of the communities in Tambura County to explore and discover their talents and interests. CFS is also a platform that actively engages with the community, organising awareness campaigns and workshops for parents and carers on the importance of the specific needs of children affected by conflicts and fostering a supportive environment for their reintegration into the community.
Brown is one of the many children who discovered his passion for dancing, drawing, and storytelling as a means to express his feelings and hopes for the future. His newfound creativity sparked a renewed sense of hope and aspiration.
Brown concluded by saying, “CFS is our home – we’ve learned so much about everything that we never would have. Before, we would fight with each other, bully each other, and not accept children with disabilities (albinos), but now we are friends. As one family, I am really happy here.”
The established CFS became a lifeline for Brown and about 4,349 children (2,119 boys and 2,230 girls) with distress in Tambura and Juba, providing a nurturing environment, fostering healing, and empowering him to rebuild his life after the tragedies he experienced.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the German Humanitarian Assistance
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Humanitarian Assistance.