Children’s Corners BiH Conference
As a partner at project Children’s Corner BiH we were invited on March 5th to a conference organised by international organizations including World Vision BiH, UNICEF and Save the Children, in partnership with the Bosnian Ministry of Security.
The conference was held in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in Sarajevo. The conference was entitled ‘Children First: Mechanisms of Protection in Situations of Natural Disasters’. The conference aimed to present the work of Children’s Corners, which was established in areas affected by the floods and to establish a platform for the exchange of experiences and recommendations that can be applied to similar situations in the future.
In May 2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina were hit by catastrophic floods which affected more than a million inhabitants. Some 89,000 people were forced to leave their homes, while the damage from this natural disaster was estimated at more than €2 billion. As a result of the flooding it is estimated that 60% of children in BiH were affected by the disaster. With the aim of protecting children from the shock and trauma caused by flooding, Children’s Corners have been opened throughout BiH. These places have offered a safe environment for children, and since inception more than 3,800 children have been involved in their work.
The conference consisted of an exhibition of children’s works and photographs from the Children’s Corners titled ‘One Day of Growing Up’, a performance of children’s poem about the floods ‘Anthem of courage’, a handbook presentation on child protection in emergencies and the work of Children’s Corners in BiH, and a panel discussion on lessons learned and next steps that can be taken in order to protect children in emergency situations or natural disasters.
More than 300 participants attended this conference. Miloš Popić attended the conference on behalf of Svitac.
