Conflict displaces millions of children, charities prioritize play
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Nearly 50 million children worldwide have been displaced by conflict and violence, and organizations like Right To Play are working to provide them with opportunities for play as a means of healing and development.
Hamza, a 10-year-old Palestinian boy, experienced a transformation from a withdrawn child to a confident student through participation in the Enhancing Quality and Inclusive Education program, which used play-based activities like storytelling and roleplay to help him express emotions and build skills.
Play is recognized as crucial for children’s wellbeing, offering a sense of control and routine lost during wartime. Charities are designing and implementing play-based interventions in conflict zones, recognizing that the process of co-designing play spaces with children, allowing them to imagine and create their ideal environments, is as important as the spaces themselves.
Organizations like Catalytic Action and Playrise are creating both permanent and mobile play structures in places like Iraq and Ethiopia, while others, such as Palestine Play Projects and Child Smile, focus on using imagination and portable resources to facilitate play sessions in refugee camps. These efforts aim to support children’s psychological recovery, enabling them to reprocess traumatic memories and regain a sense of normalcy, even in the midst of crisis.
