Behind the child friendly space

In Tomals* own words

“I am Tomal. I live with my grand-parents and my parents live in another camp.

"The teachers in the camp I live in teach better than in the camp my parents live in. 

“I love come to Child Friendly Space because I can learn so many things here. We have come to know that girls should not get married before 18 years old which is a violation of child rights. Our brothers and sisters of the Child Friendly Space teach us what is the right of a children, for instance, every children has the right to survive, to be protected, to participate. If a girl gets married before 18 years old that is the violation of her rights. We have received life skills training, and came to know that we shouldn’t trust unknown people. We never go with the people we don’t know. Always think about your own safety first”.

In Aleisha’s* own words

“I live with my brother, sister and parents. I like to play with my friends and learn from the elder sisters who work at the Child Friendly Space. I like to talk with them and I like to draw at the Child Friendly Space.

"I go to school and I learn Burmese, the teachers teach us and let us play. I love to go there and learn!

"When I grow up I want to work at the Child Friendly Space and be a staff person. I want to help other children. I want help children get better, like me, I have become educated and happier. The Child Friendly Space is my favourite place to be.” 

In Hasima's* own words

“I live with my parents and my four siblings. I like to make flowers and learn handicrafts at the Child Friendly Space. I also go to school in the camps, my favourite thing to learn is Burmese. I like to learn Burmese because it is a subject from my home country and it reminds me of home. I miss my home very much.

“I was afraid of ghosts when I first came to the camp because they make the people senseless and sometimes crazy. I saw some people acting crazy people because of ghosts, I was afraid that I might become one of them which was why I was afraid. Ghosts are what dead people become."

In Fatmina's* own words

"I live with parents, my two sisters and my grandfather. My favourite thing is to play in the Child Friendly Space because the Save the Children staff are very affectionate and we can play safely. I enjoy playing with my friends. I enjoy people coming to see us at the Child Friendly Space and playing with us.

“When we first came to Bangladesh there were lots of dogs and snakes. It was scary. There were also no latrines to go the toilet. We could bring no clothes with us when we left our home, we suffered lots of difficulties. We also could not bring any cooking utensils to cook with. When we first arrived in Bangladesh a local family helped us to eat and we took shelter in their home. Gradually, over time we got the materials to build a house and things to cook with.”