Project Summary
The children in Gaza are living in another war that has been ongoing since the first minute of this aggression, which is a war of fear, anxiety, tension, and psychological and behavioral sensory disorders, as the rates of speech and hearing disorders, especially among children, have reached their highest levels in light of the almost complete absence of basic needs and the systematic destruction of infrastructure and the exit of most of the service institutions specialized in the same field from service since the beginning of the aggression, not to mention the lack of awareness among parents about the importance of urgent intervention to reduce the impact of this problem. GPAA is proud to engage in this rapid intervention initiative in an attempt to address issues that may accompany our children in Gaza for life. At the same time, we strive to address and solve these issues early with simple tools, capabilities, and ideas now through this day camp for the orphans, inshaAllah!
Impact and Results
- In light of the ongoing war against our people in the Gaza Strip, the residents of the Strip have been suffering from war for more than 14 months. A frenzied attack targeting people, trees and stones, produced tragic and exceptional circumstances that were extremely harsh and complex. In addition to the continuous bombing and the state of forced displacement and migration practiced by the Israeli occupation in a barbaric manner, there was a semi-systematic targeting of children. Thousands of children have been killed. Since the beginning of the aggression, there has been and continues to be a direct targeting of the destruction of the educational infrastructure and even the human resources that are relied upon and that have always carried the Palestinian identity and transmitted it across generations. Also, the psychological aspect, mental health, and psychological and social support are always neglected, especially for groups with high vulnerability, especially children and women, as a result of considering that the priority of psychological treatment is less important than the importance of staying alive in light of the scarcity of resources and available capabilities due to the war in general and the siege imposed from all sides in particular. This problem is sometimes overlooked and ignored by decision-makers and specialized institutions to build an urgent intervention to reduce the impact of psychological trauma and sensory disorders directly caused by the ongoing war machine. Hence, GPAA is proud to undertake this project.
- In addition, this initiative comes as the new school year for Palestinian students approaches, as we will be with them to help and support them in light of their deprivation from receiving any educational process for more than 14 months. Therefore, this initiative is essential to create a psychological educational environment based on preparing the child psychologically and emotionally and supporting them financially and morally in light of these difficult and harsh circumstances that they are facing.
- Also, alleviating the suffering of displaced people in shelters and displacement camps, especially orphaned children, by implementing the initiative’s programs efficiently and effectively, which mainly depends on spreading awareness among families and delivering messages containing educational awareness information by specialists, in addition to providing psychological therapy sessions for children suffering from psychological and behavioral disorders to create an appropriate educational environment and atmosphere for children, through which we try to make up for the children’s loss of normal school life, interspersed with many extracurricular recreational activities.
- Lastly, this initiative is meant to provide psychological support, entertainment, and systematic and non-systematic education activities for children, in addition to holding training and educational workshops for parents, the organization strives to get an integrated center that provides comprehensive services targeting orphaned children specifically in an attempt to alleviate the suffering they are living in currently in the shelter camps and displacement centers in the center and west of Khan Yunis Governorate, south of Gaza Strip.