Education Palestine Project #31839

Help Traumatized Palestinian Children

by American Friends of the Spafford Children's Center

Project Report | Mar 8, 2019
Play for Fun and Learning

By Wendy Whiting Blome, PhD | Project Leader

Free Play area at SCC

Children need space—but in the Old City of Jerusalem there are few venues for free play; places where kids can be kids in safety. The Spafford Children’s Center now has a play room full of colorful toys that encourage young children to engage their imaginations, develop problem solving skills, foster their resilience, and conquer fears. Supported by UNICEF the ‘Free Play’ program lets children choose what they want to do and how they want to play—either alone or with others. Play is a fundamental part of the learning and developmental processes for children and SCC welcomes children through age 3-1/2 to run, tumble, climb, and giggle and yell with joy. The early childhood development specialist at SCC observes the play and identifies any delays or concerns that are discussed with the parent and incorporated into a comprehensive plan for the child and family. This program now has 30 children and more come every week. You can help children grow and develop through GlobalGiving at https://goto.gg/31839 .

The mothers at SCC beam as they watch their children sheltered for a few hours from the stresses of living in an area suffering from constant uncertainty. They are trained in the importance of early childhood development and realize the significance of paying attention to the milestones of their children. The mothers engage with the teachers, specialist, and social worker to craft an intervention plan that will help their child grow and develop. The limited resources of these families do not interfere with their desire to give their children the best start they can. At the SCC they find supports that will serve their children well as they grow up in an unpredictable environment. Support these families through GlobalGiving at https://goto.gg/31839 .

Fun times at SCC

Starting early with children at SCC

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Dec 17, 2018
A First-Person View of SCC Success

By Wendy Whiting Blome | Project Leader

Now is the time of year when people give to causes they support. We hope you will be generous in your gifts to the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center through GlobalGiving at https://goto.gg/31839.

In December, if you begin a recurring monthly gift, GlobalGiving will match it for one month. Your end of year contribution of $50 becomes $100! AFSCC will be grateful to receive your monthly donation through 2019. Your donation each month will help the Spafford Children’s Center in Jerusalem provide tutoring to Palestinian children who attend schools with class sizes of 50 or more; will assist mothers who want training in ways they can reinforce the learning of their children at home, and will go toward cultural activities like art and dance that allow traumatized children to express their joys and fears.

AFSCC’s Chair, Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch visited the Spafford Children’s Center recently. Here is his report.

Last month I spent several days at the Spafford Children’s Center in Jerusalem and Bethany to witness firsthand the impact that the SCC—and our donations—make for many underserved children. In Jerusalem, the center was bustling, with every classroom occupied. Children were receiving the personalized academics for which the SCC is so renowned. (They even let me teach an Arabic lesson.) In the auditorium, musicians from a local orchestra performed lively Palestinian folk tunes as children and mothers clapped along. In the dance room, a dozen girls were learning ballet and, in the halls, mothers were making new friends.

The center in Bethany, a close suburb of Jerusalem, serves a different set of needs. Its clientele are West Bankers and most are unable to access the resources once available to them in Jerusalem, so SCC-Bethany offers them the same tailored academic support and therapeutic resources, while also providing quality pediatric healthcare. Recent US funding cuts to UN agencies like UNRWA has resulted in unmet needs among Palestinians. The vaccine refrigerator in Bethany, for instance, is nearly empty. The work of SCC has never been more important. With your help, the SCC can see that children in Jerusalem and the West Bank are provided the opportunity to dream—like all kids should.

(No donated funds are used by board members who visit SCC).

Give as generously as you can—a one-time gift or a monthly donation—to the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center through GlobalGiving at https://goto.gg/31839.

AFSCC Chair, Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch visited SCC

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Nov 30, 2018
Vulnerable Children Need Your Help

By Wendy Whiting Blome | Project Leader

Drawings by SCC children

The Palestinian children and youth the Spafford Children’s Center serves live in a context of political unrest and violence that may trigger trauma reactions and emotional and behavioral disorders. These drawings by children who attended SCC activities shows the frightening scenes that are part of their lives.

Donations to the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center (AFSCC) through GlobalGiving at https://goto.gg/31839go directly to SCC to provide needed services and supports for children and families. AFSCC is an all-volunteer organization; we pay no rent or salaries so your donation goes farther.

To counter the traumatic effects of the living situation, the Spafford Children’s Center offers a holistic array of services including educational support, play therapy, group counseling, psychodrama, music, art, folk dancing, recreational and other cultural activities, as well as summer camp and outings to local sites.

Last year SCC started a program focusing on Early Childhood Development (ECD) for children aged 0 to 6 years as partner in a national ECD strategy through the Palestinian Authority. In this program the child’s development is assessed according to a defined protocol. Additionally, mothers/parents are taught the vital importance of early stimulation and building close parent-child relationships that will promote the socio-emotional, neuro-motor, and cognitive development of the child. Strong bonds during infancy and pre-school years are critically important to the child’s growth and development of resilience. Several SCC staff members are performing so well in this program that they have been chosen to supervise other trainees in their assessments of the development of children.

The facts-on-the ground in Jerusalem and the West Bank where the Spafford Children’s Center works are constantly changing. The United States has withdrawn funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) services and schools in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Additionally, the Jerusalem mayor has said he will close UNRWA schools and clinics in the city. Just to serve the registered children in East Jerusalem would require at least 2,000 more classrooms and teachers; that need has existed for years. The UNRWA cuts have also affected the SCC clinic in Bethany. For years SCC received vaccines from UNRWA; now they are no longer available and the clinic is having to find other sources for these important childhood inoculations.

Please donate to AFSCC at https://goto.gg/31839to help children and families find hope for their futures.

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