By Catherine Weibel

GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 17 August 2011 – Ayman, 15, lives in Khuza’a, an impoverished village in southern Gaza, where extreme poverty has dramatically increased due to the blockade. For Ayman, whether or not he’s able to go to school each day is determined by how much food is left in the cupboards.

“Every morning, the first thing I do is go to the kitchen,” he said. “If there is food, I go to school; if there is none, I go to work.”

Lives in danger

Sadly, Ayman’s case is not uncommon. “Last year in Khuza’a, over 50 children aged 13-16 had to leave school to help feed their families,” said Sabah Al-Qarrah, head of the UNICEF-supported Family Centre. Many of these children work in the dangerous “buffer zone”*, a no-go military area which runs along the barrier separating Gaza from Israel. Children enter the zone to collect gravel, plastic or scrap metal in the rubble of houses destroyed two and a half years ago during operation “Cast Lead”. The gravel sells for less than a dollar a bag to local factories for construction, since imported building materials are severely restricted by the blockade.

Working in the “buffer zone” is a dangerous activity. Israeli Security Forces systematically shoot towards anyone entering the zone, citing security reasons. This access-restricted area, which is officially 300 meters deep, was unilaterally imposed by Israeli authorities in May 2009. In the past 18 months, UNICEF and its partners documented 30 children shot by Israeli Security Forces when working in or near the “buffer zone.” However, the number of children injured has sharply decreased over the past five months.

“Children could go and pick rubble in safer areas, but it would not be sustainable,” Al-Qarra explained. “They cannot afford to pay four shekels on transport when they earn a maximum of ten shekels a day (three USD).”

© UNICEF OPT/2011/El Baba
The UNICEF-supported family center in Khuza’a, provides children with remedial classes and recreational activities. Its educators try to convince children to stay in school and give up their dangerous livelihood.

‘No choice left’

Ayman believes he has no choice but to work in the “buffer zone” in order to help keep his family alive. “I cannot allow myself to think about the risks,” he explained. “I have 12 family members and I need to help feed them.”

Those risks are all too real, as Ayman spoke of an incident in March, when his friend was grazed by a bullet. “At first, Israeli soldiers shoot in the air,” he said. “If we don’t leave immediately, they shoot at us.”

Recently, in an attempt to escape a hail of bullets fired in his direction, Ayman broke his foot when a large block of concrete fell from atop a donkey cart he’d been using to transport the collected rubble.

“When they start shooting I try to leave the area as soon as I can,” he said. “But I can’t afford to leave behind the rubble I’ve collected.”

A heavy toll

Aymen’s friend, Mazen, 16, has been collecting rubble since his father left home, leaving him to provide for his ill mother and five siblings. Mazen, who suffers from back pain due to the heavy blocks he carries, dropped out of school several months ago. His mother owns a piece of land in the “buffer zone,” near the barrier but has not been able to access it since 2009 due to Israeli shooting in the area.

“I have lost my only means of livelihood, I cannot afford to buy milk or juice for my children,” she said. “All I can do is tell him to be careful and run away the minute he hears shooting,” she cried.

© UNICEF OPT/2011/El Baba
In May 2009, Israeli Security Forces unilaterally imposed a “buffer zone” along the Barrier between Gaza and Israel, citing security reasons. This access restricted area is officially 300 meters deep. In practice, it can extend up to one kilometer, and is not clearly delimited.

UNICEF support

To help children overcome poverty and reduce school drop-out rates, UNICEF supports 38 adolescent-friendly centres and family centres in Gaza, with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) and Bank of Palestine. The centres offer safe play areas, remedial classes, sport classes and psycho-social support in a safe environment.

With his friends, Ayman goes regularly to one such centre. As he entered the facility, his face lightened upon seeing the colorful balloons being used for the recreational activities that day. “It’s so good not to have to think about work for a few hours,” the 15-year-old whispered.

The head of the centre, Sabah Al-Qarra, often tries to talk Ayman into attending remedial classes and going to school more often. “I keep wondering what these kids will become when they grow up, without any qualifications,” she said. “It is heartbreaking to see them torn between the urge to help their families survive, and the dream of going to school and building a future.”

In January, children play amidst the rubble of a mosque and Islamic school in the southern city of Rafah that was bombed during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0012/El Baba

NEW YORK, USA, – The recent Gaza conflict left about 1,000 Palestinian civilians dead and many more injured. Children, who make up more than half of Gaza’s population, have born the brunt of the conflict and its aftermath.

Approximately a third of those killed or injured were children, and many others lost caregivers and siblings.

The violence ended on 18 January. Since then, children and their families have suffered from shortages of food, shelter and basic commodities – and from the widespread destruction of homes, schools, health facilities, shops, mosques and play areas.

A difficult environment

“The physical environment in Gaza is unbearable in so many different respects,” says John Ging, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip since 2006.

Mr. Ging points out the effect of “shortages of very basic supplies – and then, of course, the psychological effects in terms of there being no perspectives for kids growing up. They are living in a very oppressive, depressing and difficult environment.

“So when they look and try to contemplate their future, their experience is not giving them any basis of hope,” he adds. “It’s devastating, it’s unbearable and, sadly, it’s getting worse.”

Schools as shelters

Sir John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, recently visited Gaza and was shocked to see a school being used as a shelter. He also observed the tragedy of what children who were sheltered in that school depicted when they were given paper and pencils to draw.

“They were drawing rockets and bombs and tanks and all that,” he says. “Which is no doubt a necessary part of their cathartic experience, but it is also depressing to see that’s what children are drawing and are obsessed by.”

Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj is an internationally recognized Palestinian psychiatrist, researcher and human rights advocate from Gaza whose work documenting the effects of war and violence on children there is well known. “Layer after layer of trauma has left indefinite damage on the psyche of the children,” says Dr. El Sarraj, “to the extent that from one generation to the other, we grow up to become more violent and more desperate.”

Discussion on impact of the crisis

The impact of this crisis on schools, students and education personnel is substantial. How do children in Gaza see their futures? What kind of challenges does the crisis in Gaza pose for agencies trying to deliver humanitarian relief and safety to the civilian population – and to children, in particular? What needs to happen in order to open up the Gaza Strip to deliver assistance to the civilian population that needs it most?

About this Podcast

UNICEF Radio podcast discussion on the crisis in Gaza, featuring these guests:
Sir John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; John Ging, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; and Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj, founder and Medical Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.

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Crisis in Gaza – Podcast 12

Click here to listen to other podcast in the “BEYOND SCHOOL BOOKS” series.

A girl inspects the damage to her school on the student’s first day back following the ceasefire in Gaza.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0061/El Baba

NEW YORK, 26 January 2009 – With the return of hundreds of thousands of children to school in Gaza, UNICEF is providing essential educational equipment and materials to re-establish learning and recreational activities, create safe environments, and help restore a sense of normalcy for children in Gaza.

Today UNICEF’s Representative for oPt, Patricia McPhillips, visited Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, where two UNICEF tents are serving as temporary learning spaces for girls, whose school was completely destroyed. The girls are attending classes during the afternoon shift. Four additional tents will be set up in the coming days to accommodate additional students.

“UNICEF is working with partners to establish safe areas and to supply educational material for children in Gaza,” said Ms. Patricia McPhillips. “The return to school provides an important opportunity for children to interact, play, rebuild their routines, and overcome distress.”

On 26 January, UNICEF supplied Gaza with 130 school-in-a-box kits, which include items such as exercise books, pens and pencils, to cater for 10,400 school-aged children. In addition, UNICEF provided 84 recreational kits, containing sports and other entertaining items, for 6,720 children, 42 Mathematics and 42 Science kits for 4,200 students. UNICEF has also supplied the Ministry of Education with 12,000 water bottles targeting an equal number of school students.

Reports so far estimate that seven schools were completely destroyed, and many more were damaged. Educational material, including text books and stationary were also lost. Schools are operating in double – even triple shifts – to accommodate those children, whose schools were destroyed.

UNICEF is concerned about the risk of unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a result of the conflict, and has advocated for the clearance of school areas as a priority. UNICEF is raising awareness of the dangers of UXO through a number of materials being distributed, the broadcasting of messages on radio spots, and the printing of UXO messages on games for children.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Education reported an 80 per cent attendance at their schools. Around 450,000 children attend schools, including 373 government schools, 214 UNRWA-operated schools, and another 34 private schools. UNRWA provides schooling for over 196,000 children in Gaza.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information, please contact:
Patrick McCormick, UNICEF New York Tel, +1 212 326 7426, pmccormick@unicef.org
Veronique Taveau, UNICEF Geneva, Tel: +41 22 909 5716, vtaveau@unicef.org

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUOjqUglsx8 310 255]

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Back to school in Gaza

Children walk on destroyed houses in south Gaza City on the fourth day of the cease-fire
©UNICEF HQ/2009/El Baba

By Roshan Khadivi

JERUSALEM, 23 January 2009 – The recent and extreme levels of conflict in Gaza have affected the lives of some 800,000 children and young people. Many have lost their schools, health facilities, play areas and even neighbourhoods, which have been destroyed in the violence.

Women and children are the worst affected. Among them are a special group with one foot still in childhood and another in adulthood: the adolescents.

“We lived the worst life humans could live in this world–no food or electricity, no water,” says Lara Abu Ramadan, a 17-year-old Gaza resident, describing her experience of the conflict.

“As a result of the escalation of violence in the recent conflict, many adolescents in Gaza are now experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, insecurity and intense fear,” notes the head of UNICEF’s Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) programme, Linda Sall. “However, as adolescents, they also feel the need to take some action to support their families, friends and community.”

Adolescents lead and learn

Prior to this conflict, UNICEF and its local partners provided youths with daily recreational activities such as sports, art, music and drama – as well as life-skills education – at 28 adolescent-friendly learning spaces in five districts of Gaza.

The learning spaces are based on adolescent-led initiatives, allowing young people themselves to develop ideas for contributing to campaigns like mine-risk awareness, school reconstruction or equipping homes for people with disabilities.

UNICEF’s ADAP and child protection programmes are ready to respond to the immediate needs of communities in Gaza by turning some of the adolescent-friendly spaces into family centres. The goal is to reach youths and families together with psychosocial support and services, health referrals and distribution of non-food items.

There is also work to be done in disseminating information on the danger from unexploded munitions and landmines.

Restoring normalcy, reducing stress

Meanwhile, the centres will continue to engage and mobilize adolescents through peer-to-peer psychosocial support, recreational activities and participation in community rehabilitation projects.

Palestinian boys play football in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The centres will also pair adolescents with trained psychosocial workers. These teams will facilitate home visits and provide support for children who have been separated from their families or displaced, and are living in shelters and orphanages.

This approach will give adolescents a chance to play a two-fold role. As beneficiaries of UNICEF’s effort, they will mitigate their own stress, get group support and participate in recreational activities. And as role models, they will be able to support psychosocial, recreational and family-outreach activities for younger children.

“The idea will be to build on something that is already in the society and that is familiar,” Ms. Sall explains, “to bring back a sense of normality to life.”

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_JJgjDaPbQ 310 255]

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UNICEF: Rehabilitating learning centers in Gaza (RealMedia Format)

© UNICEF/NYHQ2006-1275/David Berkwitz
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan speaks at the High Level Symposium on Child Survival (MDG4) at UNICEF House

By Rania Al Abdullah

AMMAN, Jordan, 8 April 2008 – Ayman is a soft-spoken 14-year-old boy from Jabalia City, Gaza. His family is poor, as his father has been unemployed since March 2006. Ayman’s parents have already sold almost all their furniture to pay for food and schooling for their children. Recently, after collecting a governmental food handout, Ayman’s father had to sell the milk to get the money for the journey back home.

Ayman works very hard in school. He dreams of a future career. But with 47 students in his cramped classroom and double shifts the norm, his learning environment is very stressful. Home is no refuge: The recent incursion of Jabalia was 200 metres from where Ayman lives. The shooting and shelling so terrorized his five-year-old sister that she still wakes up screaming in the night.

Ayman’s experience is all too familiar in Gaza’s crowded, crippled neighbourhoods, where those who are least to blame for the troubles are the ones who are suffering most. Indeed, among Gaza’s 840,000 children, out of which 588,000 are refugees, Ayman has a luckier story than many.

Since the recent escalation of violence that began last month, at least 33 Palestinian boys and girls have been killed and many more injured or maimed – caught in the crossfire, shot in their living rooms, struck by explosions in their own backyards. On 28 February, four children playing soccer were hit by a missile, which dismembered them so completely their own families could not identify their bodies.

Trapped in a virtual prison

Ayman, his siblings and all Gaza’s children are finding their lives diminished each day – a cruel, slow suffocation of their spirit and their dreams. Instead of enjoying expanding horizons, they are trapped in a virtual prison, where things every child should be able to take for granted are being taken away instead. The right to play. To go to school. To have enough to eat. To have a light to study by at night. To feel safe in their own homes.

The weight of one of the world’s longest conflicts is resting on their thin shoulders, crushing their childhood and inflicting psychological scars that may never heal.

Palestinians were once reputed as being among the best educated in the Middle East; today, after years of violence, closure and poverty, their proud tradition of educational excellence has been shattered. Almost 2,000 children in Gaza have dropped out of school in the last five months. Those that remain must share tattered textbooks and do without crucial resources.

The January 2008 semester exams at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) schools in Gaza found 50 to 60 per cent failure rates in mathematics, and a 40 per cent failure rate in Arabic – the children’s native language. Despite this, Ayman insists, “I want to be an educated person. I want to be an engineer to build my country.”

On Palestinian Child Day, let the world recall, Gaza’s crisis is a man-made disaster. And let the world take note, things are worse today than at any time since the occupation began. Seventy-nine percent of Gaza’s households live in poverty; 8 out of 10 depend on food assistance. Almost half the labour force is unemployed; local industry has collapsed. Water and sewage systems are failing; garbage is piling up in the streets.

Restoring a sense of normalcy

UNICEF is working around the clock to restore a sense of normalcy for Gaza’s youth – developing remedial worksheets to help children keep up with their studies; creating sports and recreation programs in schools; and working with communities to establish play areas where kids can be kids in safety.

UNICEF works with partners to get water, hygiene and medical supplies to households and health facilities. And UNICEF-supported counselling teams are spread across the area, helping Palestinian parents and children cope with the burden of stress.

But if UNICEF is doing all it can to comfort those in the midst of Gaza’s madness, political leaders are the only ones who can bring the dreadful nightmare to an end. It is time for new engagement. The siege must be lifted. The killing of civilians has to stop, on both sides. Children deserve to grow up in peace, on both sides. And leaders on both sides, supported by the international community, must join in the kind of honest dialogue that is the only viable path toward lasting peace.

Ayman’s father quietly says, “My children are my hope.” The children of Gaza are a light in the darkness. They deserve a chance to shine.