TeamUp is a program specially developed to provide psychosocial care to children between the ages of 6 and 18. Developed jointly by War Child, Save the Children Netherlands and UNICEF Netherlands, TeamUp involves children in group activities centered on play, movement and body consciousness. Each activity has a specific goal related to a psychosocial theme.

In 2021, the Dutch Relief Alliance gave TeamUp partners (WarChild, Save the Children, SOS Kinderdorpen and Red een Kind) a grant to adjust TeamUp for Sub-Saharan African countries, focusing on ensuring quality, boosting measurability and strengthening adaptability to new contexts. The grant was used to develop scaling tools, like a certification system for facilitators and (master) trainers, to support data collection and learning processes, and to create an adaptable TeamUp branding kit. To test the effectiveness and scalability of TeamUp and its new tools, partners launched a pilot in South Sudan involving 8000 children.

The results and learning from the pilot make it possible for TeamUp to scale in the international network of participating organizations. The goal for 2025: contribute to better psychosocial wellbeing for 1 million children worldwide that are affected by conflict.

Check out the video below to see footage from the TeamUp program in South Sudan.

If you’d like to learn more about TeamUp international, click here.

The photo shows children participating in TeamUp activities in South Sudan. Credit Michael Jessurun