Recreational Activities and Psychosocial Support for Displaced People in El Geneina Camps

Volunteers in El Geneina Locality, West Darfur State, organized a series of sports, recreational, and psychosocial support activities at the Multi-Purpose Community Center in the Um Duwain area. The initiative is part of a project implemented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers across the Darfur states.

The activities attracted broad participation from children, adolescents, and women, aiming to provide a safe environment that promotes psychosocial well-being, develops participants’ skills, and helps reduce the psychological impact of displacement.

Mohamed Abdel Shafie, a member of Hope Organization, told Mashaweer that the program included football competitions involving 99 boys and male adolescents aged 8 to 16, as well as volleyball competitions with 24 participants—15 males and 9 females—aged 8 to 17.

He added that the program also featured a building blocks activity involving 47 children—23 boys and 24 girls—aged 2 to 8, in addition to a jump rope activity with five girls aged 5 to 9, and a hula hoop game involving seven girls aged 4 to 9. Recreational activities such as dancing and singing also took place, with the participation of 41 girls aged 4 to 15.

He further noted that the program included psychosocial support sessions, including two individual counseling sessions for two women aged 18 to 25, as well as a group art therapy session through drawing, attended by nine girls aged 7 to 12.

Ayman Mahdi, one of the program supervisors, told Mashaweer that these activities helped create a safe space where children and adolescents could participate in sports and recreational activities away from the pressures of displacement.

He added that such initiatives strengthen self-confidence, foster social connections among participants, and help them overcome the psychological effects of the ongoing crisis.