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Voices

"I saw so many ugly things in front of me. Now I come to the child-friendly space and have fun."

Fifteen-year-old Sandy is very articulate about her experiences, and she isn't afraid to voice them. She attends the "Espace Timoun," or child-friendly space (CFS), in Jacmel, Haiti. After school in the morning, she goes to the child-friendly space, where children from ages 3 to 17 engage in age-appropriate activities and play with friends.

Child-friendly spaces were established across Haiti to provide safe places for children while their parents engaged in relief-related activities, such as gathering water, rebuilding their homes or reestablishing their livelihoods.

Sandy reflects on the impact the safe atmosphere has on children. "A lot of kids were very shy at first, but now they even dance in the middle of the circle." She also sees the relationship between her time at the child-friendly space and her success in school. "My heart is so happy when I leave the child-friendly space, it helps me study more."

Counselors at these sites use many different types of activities to help children feel safe, express themselves, and begin the healing process. Educational activities keep children's minds active, while psychosocial games help counselors assess a child's emotional needs in the wake of the earthquake. Creative activities help children express ideas and emotions that they often don't have the vocabulary to communicate.

In Haiti, music and dance are central activities at child-friendly spaces, and it's easy to see why. The children become animated as soon as one of the counselors starts a song. They create a circle, and in turn, each child becomes the dance soloist in the middle, until it's time to invite the next child to take "center stage." The positive energy fills the tent, regardless of the rain pouring outside.

Sandy continued, confident and passionate about what this place has meant to them: "A space like this is important because we've learned so much about the world that we never would have. Before we would fight with each other, but now we are friends. On the first day, there was a lot of fighting, but the counselors explained to us why that isn't good, and we've been able to reconcile."

"Children's rights begin with the laws of a country, but everyone can help. If we know someone whose rights are being violated, we can give them food if they are hungry. We can give them clothes if they don't have any. If they are dirty we can bathe them." These words show a maturity well beyond her 15 years.

Since the earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, Save the Children has established 54 child-friendly spaces across the country to ensure children's protection in the wake of the disaster.