Love, Learning, and Support for Gaza's Children

Dear Friend,

My name is Jen Doyle and I am a communications coordinator with Rebuilding Alliance. I recently had the pleasure to interview Nermeen Kassab, one of the art teachers.

With the school year having come to a close, the program has transitioned from an after-school program to summer classes. During the three month summer vacation, Nermeen meets with children 8 to 14yrs old, twice a week, for two hours. Nermeen offers a variety of entertaining art activities, anything from drawing or painting to puppet theater! Nermeen has been working with the project for the past 10 months and in that time she’s received thanks from parents and children! Here are some examples of children who have greatly benefited from this program:

• The mother of a young boy named Mahmoud recently spoke to Nermeen about how much her son has been getting out of the classes. The recreational and artistic activities helped him develop his talent in drawing and a love of the arts in general. The classes are accesible for Mahmoud and that has helped him become more sociable and energetic during the classes.
  
  
• Dana, a 13-year-old girl, joined the art class to escape from stress due to her father's illness. Dana needed activities to be able to help her process the things that are happening in her family, and Nermeen’s classes help her in improving her mental health and as a result she has begun interacting more with the other children as well! 
  
  
• The mother of another child, Saba, contacted another teacher during the days of Eid Al-Fitr, and thanked them for activities that greatly helped Saba in overcoming the fear of being around other people. She said that her child loves art and the other fun activities offered through this program because it helps her in developing her self-confidence and discovering her artistic expression.

This project allows amazing teachers like Nermeen to help the children grow and thrive, flexing their creativity while having a great time! This project is always looking for more support to allow the children access to a wider variety of materials and activities. Many of the children have asked for a field trip to the beach this summer which could be a fun and educational expierence. 

This project was able to reach 7th place in the World Refugee Day GlobalGiving Campaign! Nermeen was overjoyed to hear that the project did so well in the campaign, and we thank you wholeheartedly! The children have all been asking for a summer field trip to the sea.  You continuing support can make that happen for them.