![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65cc95ae14cce67e88519084/3354700a-4a4d-46ea-9025-5c4410f79a1d/About+IMPACT+MAIN.jpg)
IMPACT
In inner city Nairobi, Kenya, where only 2pc of primary school children had been washing their hands with soap, our intervention took that figure to 53pc (read more). We know this because we hired local enumerators to count them. Our WASH programme has been widely used in South Sudan, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Haiti, and Bangladesh.
Across the Middle East, in Bangladesh with the Rohingya community, and also in Haiti, we have reached tens of thousands of children and teenagers whose lives have been torn apart by the impact of conflict or disasters with psychosocial support programming that has made a measurable difference to their lives.
Hundreds of thousands of children have watched our landmine awareness film ChucheQhalin, our very first programme created in 2004, according to our local Afghan partner OMAR. Our DRR films have brought meaningful preparedness and safety awareness to children and communities hit by powerful flooding and cyclones across South East Asia, as well as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. In one Philippine province alone, more than 7,000 teachers were trained in our film and puppetry methodology.
Case studies
Excerpt from External Study into Use of No Strings PSS and Peace tools, Middle East:
“The qualitative data shows that children, parents, and animators noted positive outcomes in children, ranging from less fear to less aggressiveness with other children, and stronger social relationships. Children reported that they enjoyed the No Strings sessions and wished that other children would join so that they could have fun or “be happy like us”.
"Some children cited changes that are clearly linked to No Strings. They cited less fear of the dark, which is a key message of Out of the Shadows, and accepting others who are different, a key message in Red Top Blue Top. One 10‑year‑old boy in Turkey said: “Before the movie I used to wake up from sleeping and imagine a beast in the house but now after the movie I don’t fear darkness anymore.” Related to the key messages in Red Top Blue Top, children often said they had learned ‘not to speak violently’ and to be less aggressive with other children.
“Animators confirmed these positive changes in children and found that No Strings also resulted in greater trust and communication among children and that children enjoyed learning new things in the sessions. Animators also noticed many improvements in children who were not able to communicate well or integrate into a group of other children prior to the No Strings activities. In these cases, animators found that, after several sessions, children were willing and able to interact positively with their peers and that these extreme changes were more likely among children who were more psychosocially distressed, based on animator observation prior to No Strings. For instance, one boy did not speak to anyone in the No Strings sessions for a month and a half, then became “active, talkative and able to discuss ideas and to share it with his parents and us,” said an animator.
“Parents also cited positive changes among their children, saying that participation in these activities was ‘like a genuine way‑out for kids’ and ‘the only place where they can express themselves and spread their bad energy.’ Parents noted general changes such as, ‘they became more confident and comfortable’.”