Children on the Move: Mancala, the Game of Moving

Children on the move are those children moving for a variety of reasons, voluntary or involuntary within or between countries, with or without their parents or other primary caregivers, and whose movement, while opening opportunities, might place them at risk (or at an increased risk) of inadequate care, economic or sexual exploitation, abuse, neglect or violence.

Mancala is a family board game played around the world. The word ‘Mancala’ comes from the Arabic word ‘naqala’ meaning moving, transferring, and shifting. This game becomes a metaphor for the experience of the unaccompanied children who fled their home country to move to other locations.

Globally, 22 million children are international migrants or refugees. More recently their number has been growing dramatically as a result of protracted conflicts, environmental degradation, chronic vulnerability and large-scale displacements of growing intensity and unpredictability.

This pamphlet and the accompanying video, a joint publication by Save the Children and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), share the experiences of children in various countries, including Turkey, Italy, and Sweden. IOM and Save the Children include a series of recommendations, to be considered during the International Dialogue on Migration 2015, in October 2015.