Greetings from the PHRC: Updates from Gaza
Dear community,
We’d like to start our first newsletter with a thank you. Thank you for signing up and for showing interest in the Palestine Humanitarian Response Campaign. With your support, you play a crucial role in realising this important work with the children in Gaza, which aims to ease the ongoing trauma of the horrors that are being imposed on them by Israel.
ON THE GROUND
The Children’s Village in Rafah has become the heart of our the PHRC’s mission. It is a space where more than 250 young people come together daily, doing different things that make them happy. We offer arts, music, circus activities and lots of games. All of these activities serve the deeper purpose of providing as much relief as possible to the children, as well as trying and minimizing the long lasting negative effects that the abnormal circumstances have on them.
Update from Rafah
As the number of displaced people is ever growing, space has become an issue. We recently had to move the children’s village from its original place because of newly arriving people who need to settle.
This made us realize that the village is much more than a physical space - it’s a space for children that lives through the presence of our team who shows up for the children every day. After moving twice, we have now found a new space that we can use and continue the activities.
Reaching out
We also started outreach programs where our facilitators go to different places around Rafah to work with children who can’t come to the village every day. Even though it’s heartbreaking to not be able to cater for every young person, we try to touch as many children as possible, reminding them what childhood feels like.
MEET OUR TEAM
Our team of grownups are keeping the village alive. All of them are professionals in their field who use their skills to push this powerful work forward, despite the many challenges they face. Keeping up the motivation to create spaces that are light and fun has become increasingly difficult amidst an atmosphere of war and destruction.
The adults themselves have been displaced, suffer losses and are struggling with food and water deprivation. However, our team works with passion and determination to provide the children with a place to play and a feeling of being protected, even if no one is safe.
We’d like to use this section to introduce you more in detail to team members, starting with Fatima AlJabari.
¨Nowadays, the children's village is the main thing for me. There are a lot of children every day, as the circumstances are getting worse. I can see that the village will serve them more and more, and continue even after the war inshallah¨.
Name: Fatima Al-Jaabari
Age: 24 years
Displaced from: AlSaftawi (northern Gaza)
Role in the village: Children’s village coordinator
My life before the war: My life before the war was good. I had my own studio in my room and was spending time with my family and friends.
What I love: I love seeing the children's smiles and seeing them happy because life is too short for us.
My dreams: I am working on my art, and am currently setting up an exhibition with minimal means. This is one of my dreams and also something I used to do in my normal life. And hopefully it will be beautiful. As for Fatima and her dreams, there is nothing that can stop her. I keep dreaming and achieving.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Thank you for being intersted in our work. Tere are many ways you can support the campaign. It starts with visiting our website and spreading the word, following us on Instagram, and sharing our pages, stories and posts. We've also provided resources on our website, such as stickers, posters, and flyers, which you can freely use, print, and distribute within your community.
Donations are our lifeline. We use them to keep the Children's Village in Rafah running. Your contributions help us provide essential supplies and equipment for activities and offer stipends to our dedicated team members on the ground.
