As part of the project “Including Jerusalem. Promoting inclusion as a unifying process for primary schooling in East Jerusalem’s fragmented communities” financed by the European Union we had the opportunity, thanks to the generous donation of the association Amal Bambini per la Pace, to strengthen and expand a series of socio-educative interventions in support of Palestinian children with disabilities or learning difficulties in public, private or UNRWA managed schools in the area.
Below are some activities carried out in the July/December period of 2024, with the involvement of students, parents and educators, that have been positively welcomed by the families which have found a greater sense of well-being in the minors involved, strengthening the exchange and the interaction with the educating community.
– Psychosocial support in schools In collaboration with the educators of Al-Quds University (our project partner), we have conducted psychosocial support sessions in 7 primary schools, reaching a total of 985 students with the goal of helping them express their emotions and deal with the effects of the conflict and with the ongoing trauma.
– Family days In different target schools, “Family days” have been organized to strengthen the bond between students, parents and school. The events have encouraged parental involvement and feedback from families has been extremely positive: many parents have appreciated the opportunity to directly engage in the educational process of their children.
– Summer Camps During the summer season, Summer Camps have been organized to welcome and entertain boys and girls with recreational and educative activities. Al-Quds University Summer camps: two cycles, each lasting seven days, were held at the Beit Hanina and Abu Dis campuses, which have welcomed a total of 60 children. Among the activities proposed to the participants: scientific experiments to support learning, games to promote peer interaction and distribution of snacks to raise awareness among children of the importance of a healthy and nutritious diet. EducAid and Al-Ram Summer camp: 100 boys and girls were welcomed in a public school in Al-Ram, to be involved in educational games, sports, arts and traditional Palestinian dance (Dabkeh). Furthermore, stationary kits were distributed to the participants to prepare children for the start of the school year, helping their families financially as well.
– Parental training Meetings led by experts and aimed at parents have been organized in 22 schools. The topics examined included the impact of excessive screen time on children and methodologies to manage learning difficulties. The sessions had the goal to provide practical tools to families to intervene in the education of their children.
– Distribution of winter clothes To support families and allow boys and girls belonging to vulnerable groups to be prepared and face the coldest months, winter clothes have been distributed to 400 children of 18 schools in Jerusalem.
– Operativity in the Gaza Strip Regarding the Gaza Strip, the intervention focused on the supply and restoration of aids to minors with disabilities who – given the very serious humanitarian emergency caused by the conflict – do not have adequate services for their specific needs.
In the coming months, the following interventions are planned:
– Renovations in primary schools There will be interventions in 22 schools (15 public, 5 private and 2 UNRWA schools), to demolish the architectural barriers by ensuring minimum accessibility standards and provide equipment to set-up multipurpose rooms structured with four specific areas (artistic, multimedia, comfortable, and playful corner), to utilize for active learning, extracurricular activities or to stimulate the creativity of children, facilitating their learning process and supporting them in processing anxiety, stress and trauma.
– Courses and extracurricular activities for children in primary school Courses and extracurricular activities for students will continue. In particular, psychosocial interventions carried out by the Al-Quds University experts (psychologists, educators, interns) are planned in the schools involved at the request of teachers.
