War Child - Team Up

Over the last two years we have donated 18,000 euros raised for Emily's Garden to War Child.  In October 2024 Natalie and Juliet went to visit the War Child offices in Amsterdam to learn more about the Team Up project that we think aligns so well with our Emily's Garden Foundation mission statement. 

We met with Sharida and Ines who talked us through the projects that War Child are currently working on including Team Up.  

We live in a world where two in every five people fleeing violence and persecution are children(UNHCR 2020). That's millions of children confronted daily by uncertainty and fear and distress. Children are extremely resilient but they need the chance to process their experiences.  Play and movement-based activities - such as sport and dance - allow children to express themselves and let go of tension in a safe space. That's why Save the Children, UNICEF Netherlands, and War Child joined forces to develop Team Up: a movement-based psychosocial support intervention for children affected by war and conflict (War Child 2024)

Sharida and Ines explained that War Child believes that a child's right to learn, to food, water, a safe place to rest their head at night, are all inextricably linked to their right to mental health. Team Up uses an evidence-based approach to ensure the highest quality of therapy for the children.  Interventions are done through structured play and movement-based activities provided by trained facilitators. The facilitators commit to working with the same children for an extended period of time to ensure that the children feel safe and secure and have the chance to build a strong, trusting relationship with the facilitators.  Communication in the sessions is done through play and movement rather than verbal cues, so that all children are able to participate regardless of language. The project is global, currently taking place in 25 countries. The goal is for Team Up to reach one million children by 2025.

If you would like to find out more about Team Up watch Video Nelson - TeamUp   or follow this link to go to their website.