Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2 MECA NEWS
Your MECA
Gaza Update: Dollar$
Medicine, Winter Aid, Psychological at Work
Support, New Staff, Music, and More
Gaza Update:
Palestinian children and families in Gaza are living every
day with the aftermath of the 2014 seven-week Israeli assault Music Comes to Gaza Schools
on the entire population, which killed more than 500 children,
injured thousands and left virtually every child in Gaza suffering School days in Gaza can be very hard. Many children have
from psychological distress. The attack and its lasting impact difficulty concentrating and learning because of chronic psycho-
comes on top of a devastating blockadenow in its tenth year logical distress. Classes are overcrowded. Buildings are dam-
previous attacks, and decades of occupation and dispossession. aged by Israeli shells, and the blockade prevents materials for
MECA continues to meet childrens basic needs and provides repair from entering Gaza. A shortage of school buildings has
help through our psychosocial support program, Let the Chil- made most schools run two or three shifts, shortening the school
dren Play & Heal. day. There is no time, money, or space for anything but the bare
basic instruction. MECA is supporting a music program in Gaza
schools for 100 children. At the end of the year, the childrens
Peace Choir performed for the whole community. A friend in
Gaza who attended wrote:
Stunning performance by the Peace Choir of 100 chil-
dren from the Gaza Strip. They sang a song from their Pal-
estinian heritage about a grandmothers thobe (traditional
embroidered dress); about how each stitch represents a
Palestinian story from pre-1948 Palestine.
Credit: MECA
4 MECA NEWS
New Palestinian Childrens Books Your MECA The Madaa Team for
Dollar$
Encourage Reading, Win Awards Children whove been Arrested
at Work
The majority targeted for arrests are children between
the ages of 7 and 17, explains Sahar Baidon, Deputy Direc-
tor of the Madaa Creative Center, MECAs partner in the
Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem. The
arrest of children is a key component of Israels ongoing
project to push out Palestinians.
Sahar describes what happens to hundreds of children
in Silwan every year: Children are arrested at home dur-
ing the night, no family member can even talk to the child.
According to Israeli law, children should not be handcuffed,
blindfolded or interrogated without representation, but Pal-
estinian children are. They are subjected to physical, psy-
chological and verbal abuse and humiliation. One young
Credit: MECA child who, when he asked to use the bathroom, was told by
his Israeli interrogators you can just pee in your pants.
A young reader enjoying one of five new childrenss Many children who have been arrested subsequently ex-
books published by the Palestine Writers Workshop with perience bedwetting, nightmares, anxiety, sleep disorders,
support from MECA. Al-Jinia Al-Gharbia (Fairy Gypsy) is weight loss and behavior problems like withdrawing or be-
a story about stereotypes, trusting your own experienc-
ing aggressive. Their academic performance suffers, and
es, and not judging people by what you have been told.
many children drop out of school.
The Palestine Writing Workshop (PWW) was founded MECA supports Madaa Creative Centers team to meet
just five years ago but has quickly grown to become a sig- immediate and ongoing needs of children whove been ar-
nificant resource for writers, readers, illustrators, teachers, rested, their families, and the other children in Silwan who
parents and children across Palestine. MECA has supported live with the constant, threatening presence of Israeli au-
PWWs work to bring books, storytellers, discussions and thorities, along with violent settlers and their private secu-
book clubs into local schools. Last year, we supported the rity forces.
publication of five beautiful new childrens books by con-
temporary Palestinian writers. PWW director Maya Abu Al-
hayyat explains, we have been working to promote reading
across Palestine using creative writing and storytelling. We
felt the need [for new books] due to a shortage of childrens
stories in Palestinian neighborhoods.
Education and Aid for Refugees from Syria Maisa, who is 14 years old, came to Lebanon
three years ago with seven family members af-
Education for All at Al-Jalil Center in Lebanon ter her house was bombed and destroyed in the
Syrian refugees in Lebanon are determined to ensure that Syrian war. Her father is now stuck in Syria. She
their children get an education, but too many Syrian children are hasnt seen him for three years.
still out of school because their parents cant afford fees and oth- Like thousands of Syrian refugees, she cant
er expenses, or because they dont have the proper documents. attend school in Lebanon. She attends classes
In response to these and other obstacles to education for chil- for refugees at MECAs partner organization Al-
dren who fled the war in Syria, MECAs partner in Lebanon the Jalil Cultural Center.
Al-Jalil Center has established classes for both children who are Maisa tells me, When I see local students going
to school every day, I feel jealous and get angry. I ask
enrolled in local schools and those who are not. They are study-
myself, why I am not allowed to be like them, why I am
ing Math, English, and Arabic reading and writing. The children
different? No one from my family can go to school. It is
also participate in sports, field trips, art, storytelling and drama
very expensive and some of us are not allowed because
classes, visits to a mobile library, and workshops in human rights.
we dont have documents. I go the Al-Jalil Cultural Cen-
ter every day for three hours. I learn math, English and
Arabic [reading and writing]. During the weekend I learn
how to use the computer. It is not enough, but still, its
the only place for me to learn something.
The seven members of Maisas family are liv-
ing in a tiny room. They survive through UN and
Al-Jalil relief projects. Maisa thinks of herself as
lucky compared to other children shes met who
dont have a roof over their heads, and live in
tents, and shower only once a week.
When I asked Maisa what she wanted to be in
the future, she told me shes afraid of the future,
and that she only wants to go home to Syria and
play with her friends as she did in the past. Maisa
has been forced to grow up too fast. Shes miss-
Most refugee children from Syria are unable to attend ing the basic necessities of life that we take for
school in Lebanon so MECA helped one of our partners granted. Her childhood has been assassinated.
establish a school to meet their needs. MECA and the Al-Jalil Cultural Center are trying
to give her hope by making it possible for her to
learn new things and help her imagine a future.
Winter Aid
It gets very cold in Lebanon with icy wind and rain, and
sometimes snow. You can imagine, how difficulteven
dangerousthis is for refugees living in tents and flimsy
sheltersespecially infants and small children. MECAs
partners distributed vouchers for food and hygiene
products.
6 MECA NEWS
New Palestinian Childrens Books Continued The Madaa Team for Children Continued
families and communities. Nermin, a mother who attended The Madaa Team is made up of a lawyer, a psychologist,
a training in Gaza, says, I did not imagine that reading sto- a librarian/Activities Coordinator, as well as a researcher
ries aloud is something very important for me and my kids, and videographer to document the arrests for evidence and
from this moment I will devote time of day to read to my advocacy efforts. As soon as a child is taken by Israeli au-
children. thorities, the lawyer begins work to locate the child, keep the
The SacramentoBethlehem Sister City and the Boulder parents informed, and protect his (its almost always a boy)
Nablus Sister City contributed to the publication of the new rights throughout the entire legal process. The lawyer aims
childrens books, and together with MECA we are explor- to prevent prolonged detention, forced confessions, impris-
ing the possibility of publishing bilingual Arabic-English onment, and psychological or physical abuse. At the same
editions. time, Madaas staff psychologist visits the family in their
home to assess their needs. After the child is released, the
Activities Coordinator immediately tries to engage him in
community activities with peers, and makes sure he returns
to school. The psychologist provides counseling for the child
and his family. A tutor may be provided for children who are
released to house arrest, have missed a significant number of
school days, or are doing poorly because of psychological
distress.
Two of the new Palestine Writers Workshop books won the prestigious Etisalat Awards for Arabic
Childrens Literature. Berkat Al Asela Al Zarqaa (The Pool of Blue Questions) written by Maya Abu
Alhayat, illustrated by Hassan Manasrah, encourages children to ask questions. The answers that the
main character finds out himself become his prized possessions. Bolqosh written and illustrated by
Yara Bamieh is about an imaginary friend who shows you the beauty in every day. Credit: PWW
MECA NEWS 7
NEWS
Winter 2017
UPCOMING EVENTS!
Please join us for the US premiere of
the film: