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SARAJEVO, June 17 (FENA) - The very first workshop held for refugee and migrant children in BiH by the mobile Child Friendly Space has been set up by Save the Children, in partnership with local organisation 'Žene sa Une' and with UNICEF’s support.
This was a chance to gather children around and give them a worry-free hour of arts and music workshop.
This workshop also represents the beginning of Save the Children’s humanitarian response to refugee/migrant crisis in BiH.
Namely, according to data released by International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 6,700 illegal migrants were registered in 2018 on the new Balkan route, originating from Greece, through Albania, Montenegro, BiH to Croatia, which is twice as more than in the entire 2017.
In BiH, the highest number of refugees and migrants gather in capital Sarajevo or in north western BiH, close to the border with Croatia. About fifth of them say they come from Syria, while the rest come mostly from Iraq, Turkey, Algeria and Afghanistan.
In the past weeks, an assessment of the situation of migrant and refugee children, including unaccompanied and separated children in BiH, was completed and a coalition of international organisations working in the child rights sector in BiH was formed, consisting of UNICEF, World Vision, International Forum of Solidarity – Emmaus, Save the Children, and SOS Kinderdorf, with technical support from IOM, UNHCR and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.
Following the analysis of the needs in the field, our team will be active in two regions with the highest concentration of refugees and migrants. In Bihac, the mobile Child Friendly Space is already active, while preparations are being made for a Mother and Baby corner. The same activities will be undertaken in Sarajevo
Child Friendly Spaces provide a safe environment for the youngest where they can regain the sense of normalcy and structure through organized activities of playing, socialising and learning. Here they can express their fears and reasons for joy. This way, children can rebuild their resilience that will enable their further development.
This is a model Save the Children implements widely in places of crisis and has been in use by our team in Serbia, working with refugees and migrants. This experience proved to be invaluable for newly formed teams in BiH who benefited from attained knowledge and shared experiences.
In the weeks to come, Save the Children plans to widen its intervention and provide much needed support in the form of food and hygiene products as well.
(FENA) S. R.
