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Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – A group of Gaza children at an art workshop at the SOS Children's Village in Bethlehem, 102 km (63.4 miles) from Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip.
The children are working on a depiction of the three-day journey from Rafah to Bethlehem, a complex journey covering a distance that can be covered in an hour.
Like all Palestinians, their movement is restricted by the Israeli government, which severely limits Palestinians' ability to move around in normal times, a situation made worse by Israel's war on Gaza.
Sixty-eight children from the SOS Children's Village in Rafah were moved to the charity's facility in Bethlehem this month, along with 11 caregivers who had been caring for them in Gaza with support from the German government.
expressing pain and fear
For their comfort and privacy, the children aged two to 14 cannot be directly interviewed or photographed, but Al Jazeera was allowed to observe their workshop and conversations.
One girl was focused on cutting out the word “Rafa” and pasting it on one corner of her sheet and a sad, scared, frowning face pasted next to it.
From there, he wrapped bright yellow thread around the page, wrapped it in a loose knot around the angry face, then wrapped it in a larger loop until he reached “Bethlehem,” which he glued to the opposite corner. .
Already related to one another due to the construction of SOS villages, the youngsters appear to have grown even nearer throughout their lengthy journey to Bethlehem.
A boy bends over and patiently helps a little bit boy work out what to do along with his sheet, explaining that there have been completely different faces for the little boy to specific that he was going by completely different elements of the journey The way it feels to be on factors and ready to your little pal to position them. Earlier than explaining the glue stick.
On the different finish of the room, a five-year-old boy is tangled in his jacket as a result of the sleeves are inside out. His 14-year-old pal takes it off and arranges it, places it again on him and pulls him shut for an enormous hug when he's prepared to affix in on the exercise.
Dr. Mutaz Lubad, an professional in artwork and psychological remedy, says that this guided artwork session offers kids some freedom, giving them an opportunity to specific no matter is on their thoughts by their artwork.
The kids are experiencing a troublesome mixture of feelings: the disappointment of leaving their properties in addition to the numerous kids whose households didn’t approve of their evacuation, the reduction of getting away from the struggle, the concern of loud noises after going through a bombardment, The fleeting pleasure of getting there, the dream of going to Bethlehem and the house of Rapha.
“As a result of kids typically discover it troublesome to specific what they’re feeling, we work on visualizing their struggles by their artwork,” Lubad advised Al Jazeera.
In guided artwork actions like this the place everyone seems to be requested to provide the identical factor, kids are ready to decide on their very own colours, the facial expressions they select for various factors of their journey and the alternatives they make of their representations. How advanced is it to make a glued thread. Three days of journey.
Requested in regards to the significance of some kids tying free knots of their yarn journey, Lubud stated: “The knots signify factors the place kids had been uncovered to conditions that confused or frightened them, However the truth that they often stored free knots exhibits there are issues they really feel they’re able to overcome.
“One boy's article was notably expressive. When he was advised that he can be transferred from Rafah, he feared the unknown, turning into afraid to depart his room and home. Then throughout the journey, he turns into alternately fearful and careworn, lastly relieved to be protected in Bethlehem. All that is seen within the facial expressions he has chosen.
shield kids
Rafah SOS Village remains to be open and receiving kids whose households have been killed within the struggle or who’ve been separated from their kinfolk. There are lots of kids who remained within the Rafah facility after their authorized guardians refused to expel them from Gaza.
Sustaining contact with kids's households – if they’ve any – is a crucial a part of sustaining their group ties, however looking for out which kinfolk have survived and which have died is sort of inconceivable. Sami Ajoor, program supervisor for the Youngsters's Village Basis in Gaza, tells Al Jazeera.
Regardless of the difficulties the Basis is going through throughout the struggle, it’s persevering with its work, he defined, including that the Rafah facility is definitely asking for help to develop its operations in order that it may assist those that are orphaned or have misplaced their lives. To obtain as many kids as doable who had been separated from their households. Day in Gaza.
Ghada Harzalla, nationwide director of Youngsters's Villages in Palestine, says the trauma kids are experiencing due to the struggle on Gaza manifests in some ways, together with anxiousness, incontinence, nightmares and insomnia, she stated. Their mission – defending kids – has not modified.
At sundown, kids from Gaza and people residing in Bethlehem Village may have a bunch iftar to interrupt their Ramadan quick.
The construction of SOS Youngsters's Villages world wide encourages family-style relationships between kids and between them and grownup employees. A employees member is appointed as a “guardian” for every group of kids They’re raised in “household” teams the place they will bond with one another.