Help Traumatized Palestinian Children

Yousef has been coming to the Spafford Children’s Center (SCC) in East Jerusalem since he was six years old. At first his mother, Hala, brought him to SCC because she knew her son needed help as he wasn’t developing as fast as her older children. Yousef had trouble grasping a pencil and got frustrated because he couldn’t write like the other children in his school. At the SCC he worked with an occupational therapist who assessed his capabilities and quickly designed a program of exercises to increase his fine motor skills and strengthen his hand and finger muscles—and they were fun. Yousef played with clay to improve his strength, traced letters to develop dexterity, added a pencil grip to position his fingers correctly, practiced using a ruler, and completed dot puzzles and mazes to facilitate concentration.

As he progressed through the primary grades in his community school, Yousef asked to return to SCC for the computer courses. He had heard from friends that they were learning how to search topics for school projects, to create documents, and send and receive emails. SCC offers basic computer skills classes for children ages 6 to 13 and advanced classes for teens ages 14 to 18. In six sessions of two hours each, children and teens learn the basics and soon have the confidence to progress on their own. Soon his older sister was joining the fun.

Hala found that concurrent with her son’s course there was an interactive session on family relationships that she could attend. For decades, the SCC has offered an integrated, family focused approach. Parents are critical to supporting the work of the teachers and therapists at the SCC and she was eager to speak with other mothers about how to support the psychological health of her children. For 90 minutes each week Hala found a safe space to speak with other women who also worry about the trauma their children face, how to talk with them about Gaza and West Bank deaths and destruction, and suggestions for ways to keep children focused on their studies.

Hala’s niece, Fatima, was seven when she first came to SCC. She was struggling in math partly due to the large size of her class in her school. Her mother, Dalia, knew she needed individualized help; she had asked for help at the school, but the teacher was overwhelmed with more than 50 children in the class. The teacher recommended the tutoring offered at SCC.

As with all services at the SCC, Fatima’s capabilities were assessed to determine what arithmetic concepts she understood, and which were challenging for her. The math teacher worked with Fatima and one other student who had similar needs. They learned together and quickly mastered the basics of addition and subtraction. Fatima and her new friend were moving around the room—how many books on the shelf? How many pencils on the desk? Then the teacher added pencils and took away books—now how many? That was easy, so on to counting by twos, then fives, and tens. Then came multiplication and division. That was harder, but the SCC teacher was encouraging and always had another way to explain the concept so that the girls understood. Fatima loved the books they read with the teacher that included math concepts. And there were everyday uses of math, like making change, calculating a score on a spelling test, and measuring water in a cup. It was fun and both girls developed a positive attitude toward math as their confidence grew.

For 100 years, the Spafford Children’s Center has been a haven of hope and healing for the children of Jerusalem. From occupational therapy and tutoring to family counseling and computer skills, SCC gives children the tools they need to thrive.

Please help this legacy continue by supporting the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center through GlobalGiving: https://goto.gg/31839.

Thank you for your time; please send any questions to SpaffordUSA@gmail.com.

With best wishes, 

Children in Jerusalem know about starvation in Gaza and attacks in the West Bank. They have their own stresses due to the constant presence of police as they make their way to school, and around their communities. At the Spafford Children’s Center (SCC) they can be children enjoying summer camp with field trips, crafts, games, and fun with friends and trusted camp counselors.

Visits to Historic Places

The SCC is one of the few organizations offering a camp this year, so the 70 Palestinian children, ages 4 to 13, enrolled are enjoying every minute. The “Tomorrow’s Pioneers” campers visited Ein Karem, a village in the hills southwest of Jerusalem. The Palestinian residents were forced to leave in the area in 1948. At one time it was a Christian village and the SCC campers visited local sites and had a picnic in a forested area. They challenged themselves with a game of skill—which team could get a hoop up and over the friend on one end of a rope all the way along the rope to the other end and down to the ground without touching anything or anybody!

The campers also visited Al-Jur, another village devastated in 1948, where they walked through alleys filled with history and ruins that told stories of the past. It is important for these Palestinian children to know and understand history as they live in an area that has seen many geopolitical changes over the decades and centuries.

Another exciting day was a trip to the Al-Suhail Horse Club in Beit Sahour, a town east of Bethlehem in the West Bank. The children rode horses, helped feed them, and learned how to care for the animals. This is an experience most of the children would never have outside of the SCC camp. It was a joyful and enriching day filled with laughter and unforgettable moments for the children.

Technology, Arts and Crafts, and Pool Time

The children at SCC will inherit a world powered by technology. The campers had the opportunity to explore artificial intelligence, watch 3D films, and play digital games that combined fun with learning. It was an awwwwwesome day.

What would camp be without arts and crafts? SCC children wove intricate yarn and stick pieces to take home, and painted pictures. Additionally, they learned to play the drums, and practiced Debkah dance moves. The children also expended lots of energy in the Spafford courtyard jumping through hoops and playing running games and were delighted to return to the cool crafts room.

A special day was the trip to the swimming pool and waterpark in Jericho. Cooling off, learning to swim, and being with friends made it a splash-perfect day.

Trauma Treatment Continues

The trauma treatment that underscores much of what SCC does continues in the summer. Learning to relax, express emotions through puppets, and recognize and handle anxiety and fears are critical to Palestinian children who have experienced trauma themselves or are aware of the traumas faced by their parents and extended family.

Thank you for Your Donations

We thank you for your past donations to the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center and hope that you will again contribute to help the SCC start the new academic year with all the teachers and therapists needed to serve the ever-growing demand for its recognized, professional services. Donate here: https://goto.gg/31839. We thank you.

Best wishes,