Refugees Clinging to childhood

By UNICEF Australia

2 February 2016

When you're fleeing home in chaotic and dangerous conditions you reach for the bare essentials - clothes, money and papers to help you through the journey ahead.

When you're a child forced to leave behind friends, family and the stability of home you reach for your most treasured toys - the cuddly companions who bring you comfort and joy wherever you are.

6-year old Sozdar, managed to take her favorite toy before she fled her home in Syria with her family.

Children on the move across Europe face long and stressful days without knowing where they will end up, what their new lives will be like or even where they'll sleep at night. Familiar playthings can help children adapt to their changing circumstances - to bring a little home comfort to a rough night out in the open. Sozdar, 6, took her favourite toy before she and her family fled their home in Syria.

A pink teddy bear has been left behind by a child on the road that leads from the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Vinojug reception center.

Not every fluffy friend makes it through the journey unscathed. Some are left behind, forgotten amid the panic of refugees scrambling to reach the next border. This lone bear was lost in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

A red toy lion lies covered with dust on the road used by people making their way from Greece to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

8-year old Jowaher, holds on to her favorite toy while she waits to enter Vinojug reception center, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Jowaher, 8, holds a cherished toy as she waits to enter the Vinojug reception centre in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

9-year old Mira, lost her teddy bear when she and her family crossed the sea from Turkey to Greece.

Mira, 9, holds a new toy at a UNICEF-supported child-friendly space in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, after losing her teddy bear on the journey to Greece. Although toys cannot replace a child’s normal environment, they can help relieve some of the emotional distress during crises.

A toy pig is forgotten lying in a puddle in the field between the Greek border and the reception center near the town of Gevgelija

A toy pig lies in a puddle in a field between the Greek border and a reception centre near the town of Gevgelija, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Girl sits in a crowd

UNICEF/UNI201668/Georgiev

Children travelling across Europe often spend long hours waiting while their parents deal with registrations, paperwork and queues - an exhausting and frustrating experience when you have no friends for company. This girl sat on the ground and played with her toy bear as people crowded at the Vinojug reception centre near the town of Gevgelija, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Croatia, at the Opatovac registration and transit centre on the border with Serbia, Mahmood, 7, from the Syrian Arab Republic and his sister Zahra, 5, receive stuffed animals

Syrian children Mahmood and Zahra received stuffed animals at a UNICEF-supported recreation centre in Croatia, as their parents collected food and warm clothing. These small comforts can help children hold on to a sense of normalcy and fun - to cling to a childhood that's quickly slipping away.

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Wherever children are caught in emergencies, UNICEF works to uphold their fundamental rights to protection, health care and education.

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Clinging to childhood

For children on the move in Europe, teddies are a precious reminder of home.