Documenting Child Friendly Spaces Across Typhoon Haiyan Affected Areas

When Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) crossed the Philippine islands, it left 14.1 million affected people in its wake – 5.9 million of which were children. Among other lifesaving measures, a key part of UNICEF’s response included activities for child protection. In order to provide children a safe place for play, to promote psychosocial well-being and facilitate healing and recovery, UNICEF and partners have established 125 Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in Regions VI and VIII reaching an estimated 25,600 children and 5,200 caregivers.
In order to understand the role, context, successes, and challenges of Child Friendly Spaces in the response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, a documentation of CFS was conducted across the affected areas to offer recommendations for ongoing and future implementation. These visits were not intended to monitor each space, but rather to document the initial experience of CFS to help inform ongoing implementation for UNICEF, government, and NGO partners.