Play & Activity Centers in Palestine Refugee Camps

Location:	Bethlehem, Palestine, Palestinian Territory
Category:	Education
Published:	04 October 2007
Progress:	0% funded
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Rating:	13 Ratings

A CHILD WHO PLAYS IS A CHILD WHO LIVES! This project aims to improve the psychosocial well being and education of the most vulnerable children in the refugee camps within the Palestinian Territories.
Eleven play and animation centers exist within the Palestinian Territories which will aid these children thanks to your contribution.

These play and animation center have three main objectives:
Firstly, the centers aim to create a communication network between childhood professionals on a national scale. This includes annual meetings of members to improve the network in the sector of non-formal education and psychosocial support.
Secondly, to support socio-educational projects for children and teenagers within the youth centers through psychosocial and educational support activities. This includes professional trainings given to local staff and support to local Palestinian partner developers in the West Bank and Gaza.
Finally, the organization of activities concerning children rights, within the framework of awareness-raising. These activities do include exchanges and meetings between families, teachers, childhood professionals and local actors as well as children from different communities.

The overall focus are the psychosocial needs of Palestinian refugee children and their educational and social environment.

By helping this project you help a network which affects 30.000 children living in refugee camps in Palestine.

Advocates (1):

• 

  G. Hoehne

  M

  This project is unique in its approach. The psychosocial and physical for children in Palestinian refugee camps is very bad. This is one of the main organization which takes up this matter and tries improve the current situation. This organization takes the children away from the only playground they have (the streets in the refuge camps) and puts them into an environment which enables the children to learn and play in a way which children should. It frees the children from the doubts and problems they face. It gives them a place where they can be children; which so important for their development. The approach this program uses is non violent and the children play the central role in deciding their activities. They create their environment in a interactive approach wherein the children are not filled with knowledge but rather made to experience for them selves and therefore get a deeper understanding of their environment. This program gives them not just hope but also fun and a secure and safe environment. Please, help the centers to fulfill their purpose. It is the only place these children have to play and to ‘be children’. Thanks!

Visitors (1):

• 

  G. Hoehne

  M

  I visited the Refugee Camp in Hebron a couple of days ago. It is a great place for the children. International volunteers together with regional child counselors and psychologists support and play with the children. It was hard to see that the play and education center does not have enough places for all the children in the refugee camp. There are a lot of toys but there are way to many children. The children themselves are in good condition but one can clearly see that there are certain physical and psychological marks of mistreatment. The mentors do what they can and EJE just brought around 50 new board and card games for the children. Still there is a lot to do. I talk to one of the managers of the camp and he told me that there is a urgent need for more counseling and games. Please help EJE to help not just this play and education center but all of them all over Gaza and the West Bank. It would change these children’s life.