Evaluation of Child Friendly Spaces: Iraq Field Study Report of a Save the Children Implemented CFS

In a three-year collaboration, World Vision International and Columbia University, joined by UNICEF and Save the Children, sought to document the protective and restorative effectiveness of Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs), identify good practice in their design and implementation, and contribute to the development of better monitoring and evaluation tools for programming. Facilitated through this research partnership, this study was conducted in Domiz Refugee Camp located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in collaboration with Save the Children and UNICEF. This study marks the fourth evaluation completed as part of this collaboration and the second in the Middle East region responding to the crisis in Syria.

The evaluation indicated that while some of the objectives of the Save the Children-implemented CFS were achieved, there were areas where further assessment and development of the programme is required. These findings were utilised in providing feedback to Save the Children in how to strengthen their CFS programme to ensure appropriate opoprtunities are taken to support children’s psychosocial wellbeing.