Child War is a group of independent humanitarian organizations which work together to help children and

young people affected by armed conflict.Their goal is the protection, development and survival

rights for children who are living with or recovering from the effects of armed conflict.

War Child International has been working in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chechnya, Colombia, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, West Bank and Gaza.

War Child International implements projects according to the following themes

•Child protection: to protect children and young people against the consequences of armed conflict.

•Education: to enable children and young people's access to education.

•Justice: to ensure children and young people's access to justice when their rights are violated.

•Livelihoods: to build sustainable local livelihoods that address children and young people's fundamental needs.

•Psychosocial: to stimulate children and young people's own psychological and social development.

HISTORY The organization was founded in the UK in 1993. by British filmmakers Bill Leeson and David Wilson when they returned from covering the war in former Yugoslavia. Shocked by what they had seen, they raised enough money to return later that year with a convoy and mobile bakery to help provide for the children affected by the conflict.

The War Child family soon grew as War Child Holland was formed in 1994 and War Child Canada started in 1998. Followed by War child US, Ireland and Australia. Since its founding, War Child has achieved many successes. Hundreds of thousands of children have been reached with War Child programs in a large number of warzones around the world

MUSIC

- War Child created a first album 'Help’ that was launched in 1995 in order to raise money and awareness for the children affected by the bloody conflicts in the Balkans.

- Since then they have been using music as a way to raise funds and awareness as well as a tool for therapy. Indeed the organization uses music to reinforce the psychological and social development and the welfare of the children.

-Through music the children learn to express their emotions, escape their daily lives and learn respect for one another.

Professor Nigel Osborne delivering one of his pioneering music therapy sessions for traumatized children in Sarajevo.

Their main goal: - Providing medical care, counseling to girls who have been the victims of sexual violence.

- Creating safe heaven for children to escape the danger of life on the streets.

- Rebuilding schools destroyed by the war and getting kids out of the army and to school.

- Helping children get their voices heard and their rights met.

THEIR APROACH - The organization’s approach is different than the traditional need-based approach, it is a right-based approach. They help meet the immediate needs, but it is part of a bigger program where they are also helping the children to campaign and lobby to make sure that the local, national and international government are held responsible long after the camera have gone away.

-Try and get the community involved in protecting the children.

-Base their projects on the children’s wishes.

- Will not portray the children as helpless victims.

- War child international is divided between Australia, Canada Holland Ireland, UK and US. - All of the organizations are independent, autonomous and anonymous. But they work according to the same values. - Each country specializing in some particular aspect of the aid. Thus the different branches of the organization can work in different countries.

Examples of country specificities.

CANADA: • focuses on the protection of

children’s rights • Improving access to education,

strengthening livelihoods and building capacity throughout war-affected communities around the world.

• • A vital component of War Child

Canada is the development of strong partnerships with local communities and organizations. They believe it can deliver effective development projects through support to local community-based initiatives, to foster self-sufficiency.

HOLLAND• Specialized in helping the psychosocial needs of children who have suffered from war and/or conflict situations by using creative arts such as crafts, music or even sports.

• The idea is to unit children who have been driven apart because of war, in order to contribute to a peaceful society.

Children in Sudan grow up in very unstable conditions. Malnutrition, disease, poor education and permanent insecurity have a grave effect on great numbers of children.Any children have lost one or both parents to the war or have been separated while the family fled from the violence. Families have great difficulties to make a living, and more often than not children have to join in hard labor for the family to be able to survive.War Child has developed an extensive and easily accessible program. In close cooperation with local communities and organizations. War Child organizes a wide array of activities: large-scale play days for children, informative events for the community, education of youth groups, discussion groups for parents, youngsters and children, and training of teachers.Community groups are also taught to take upon them the responsibility of addressing protection issues of children. Such as child labor, violence among the family, youth unemployment…

Young people, living without meaningful adult guidance and desperate to meet their basic needs, encounter many risks: substance abuse, involvement in criminal and military activities, abuse by community members, exploitation by employers, and ill health.To mitigate the dangers faced by young people, and to bring a level of normalcy to their lives, War Child has established eight youth centres in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps on the outskirts of El Geneina and two in El Geneina town, West Darfur. The centres offer a protective environment in which both young men and women can engage in meaningful activities.Many youth in the camp had their education interrupted, often for years. The centres provide accelerated learning courses in numeracy and literacy. Alongside these courses, the centres provide life skills workshops in conflict resolution, self-protection, health, civic engagement and gender-based violence awareness and prevention. To help youth avoid dangerous and exploitative work, War Child offers vocational training opportunities for young people. The courses teach marketable skills such as masonry and construction, or skills that will enhance household economies such as food preservation. The young people themselves are given leadership roles at the centre and are encouraged to organize recreational activities such as team sports and music. These activities were requested by the youth to help them forget the harsh day-to-day activities in the camp and the horrific violence that forced them there.

BUILDING THE RESILIENCE OF YOUTH

War child is an organization concerned with the durability of their programs.This is why War Child educates youth groups and community leaders. This in order to stimulate the durability and effectiveness of their programs. The groups consist of ten to twenty youngsters of about sixteen years old. Thus, should War Child leave Sudan, the groups will be able to continue and follow up on its work. The youth groups are educated in management and organization, budgeting, organizing events and the use of creative activities during events. As well as the education, War Child supports communities to develop safe locations for children, where these events can be held.