The project in summary

Qualitative strengthen the child friendly activities and spaces where Save the Children is currently working and foster new collaborations with Asylum Shelters to promote creative and artistic childcare activities and spaces.

The project in detail

Improve the care, psychosocial support and protection of refugee girls and boys in Asylum Shelters in Switzerland and pave the way for the development of minimum standards for childcare and protection in the Asylum Sector.

Expected Beneficiaries throughout the project (2023-2025)

Direct Beneficiaries

  • Approximately 75-116 Shelter Staff over three years;
  • Approximately 30-42 Shelter Directors over three years;
  • Approximately 540 Child Asylum-seekers and Refugees (0-13 ages) in Federal and Cantonal Asylum Shelters, over three years;
  • Approximately 300-400 external experts over three years.

Indirect Beneficiaries 

  • Approximately, 1’200 Child Asylum-Seekers and Refugees (0-13 ages) in Federal Asylum Shelters, over three years;
  • Approximately 180 Child Asylum-seekers and Refugees (0-13 ages) in Cantonal Asylum Shelters, over three years.

In 2023-2025, Save the Children Schweiz, with Alta Mane support amongst others, foresees the following main activities:

  • To coach asylum Shelter Directors and Staff to autonomously run Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) and train them to oversee the CFS and ensure that quality childcare and protection standards are upheld;
  • To develop and implement regular arts-based pedagogical activities that are tailored to the needs of the minors in Asylum Shelters by means of the Creative Tool Kit and Activity Box as well as to organize creative workshops that are age adequate, safe, inclusive and trauma sensitive;
  • To replicate and scale the Creative Tool Kit and Activity Box and make it available to Federal and Cantonal Asylum Shelters and other organizations in the field of childcare;
  • To support Asylum Shelters in developing written concepts for child friendly spaces and activities to anchor knowledge;
  • To strengthen the advocacy, enhance networking and share best practices in the field of child protection and child rights in the asylum and migration sector.

In 2023, a total of 14 Asylum Shelters (5 Federal/9 Cantonal) received in-depth technical support in developing written concepts for child friendly spaces and activities, and 24 Staff Members and 14 volunteers were trained to develop child-friendly activities. During the same period, a total of 29 Asylum Shelters (2 Federal/27 Cantonal) received low-level technical support on the implementation of child-friendly spaces and activities and 27 Staff Members as well as 6 volunteers benefited from creative activity support trainings, including child development and protection, pedagogical principles, and the use of the Creative Toolkit and Activity Box. Simultaneously, 14 Child-Friendly Spaces have been set up; 9 Creative Toolkit and Activity Box distributed to shelters, as part of the improvement of child-friendly spaces as well as to support child-friendly activities and play afternoons, and 13 creativity workshops organized reaching 90 children (3-15 ages) and 25 Shelter Staff.