Our Safe Park is a safe place for vulnerable children, offering a space for them to be children. The park offers children a protected environment with qualified and friendly staff, where time and space for playing is given. The children have the opportunity to open up, share challenges, interact and learn from each other, discover their talents and get to know their rights as a child. In addition, the participation of individual families in the Safe Park is intended to strengthen the solidarity of the entire community.
Kids have the right to play
Playing is very important for the development of children. Through playing, children develop their identity and personality. They learn to recognise their abilities and to solve problems. Social skills in particular are strengthened through cooperation, listening and negotiating rules.
Many children in Kenya have too little time and hardly any opportunities to play, as they have chores to do at home and long journeys to school leave them no time to do so. Our Safe Park offers children the opportunity to escape from their everyday lives and be children.
Reducing trauma symptoms and causes
Unfortunately, many children experience abuse, neglect and other traumatic experiences. Our Safe Park creates a therapeutic environment that encourages children to talk freely and openly about these issues with trained caregivers. In order to improve the situation of the children in need, our team involves the child’s family in the solution process and thus counteracts the causes.
Useful knowledge about body and health
An additional important aspect of the Safe Park is to inform children, young people and their parents about HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, contraception, health, hygiene, ecological cultivation methods and other relevant topics and to raise awareness.
Children Clubs – Mobile version of the Safe Park
In April 2015, Make Me Smile Kenya organized the first Children Club. Since then, we have regularly organized Children Clubs in remote areas to give rural children also the opportunity to receive psychosocial support and a day of joy.
Impact
The long-term aim is to raise awareness of child and youth welfare and psychosocial support. Children and adolescents grow up in a supportive environment, whereby their talents are discovered and supported, thus creating opportunities for a better future. The running of Safe Park and Children Clubs creates new jobs for family carers, helping them to stand on their own two feet and take care of their families. We would like to thank FICE International-, Austria-, South Africa-, and Kenya for their successful cooperation in achieving these goals.
Please help us to develop and maintain this important and safe place for children!
Many thanks to the United Nations Women’s Guild for their support
