Help Traumatized Palestinian Children

Each woman was given a lump of clay. The resident and visiting art teachers at the Spafford Children's Center showed the women tools for working with clay—rolling pins, knives, brushes, water, wooden sticks, and paints. With hands covered with moist clay each woman expressed her own vision. They fashioned bowls, a bird cut from flattened clay, painted ornaments, and pieces inspired by their day at a local museum that displays Jerusalem antiquities.

On another day at the Spafford Children's Center, youth worked with the psychodrama coach to write and perform skits on “borders”. These youth live with the Israeli wall that separates them from family and friends in the West Bank and with restrictions on freedom of movement in their neighborhoods. They experience limitations in their daily lives regarding where they can go, who they can visit, and where they will be safe. Acting out these “borders” helps to differentiate internal and external borders and gives the youth the opportunity to share their experiences and celebrate their capacities.

Each day at the SCC there are creative outlets that encourage children, teens, and parents to explore their gifts. For example, dance brings a smile to the faces of young girls who move freely and find the rhythm of the music with their feet and hands. And for mothers who never had the opportunity to work with paints and clay and teens who act out their frustrations and ambitions.

At the SCC a wholistic approach to children and families has been a driving force for decades. Now more than ever it is important to help Palestinians see a future in which their potential is celebrated.

Please support the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center (AFSCC) and your donation will help Palestinian children and families receive the educational, therapeutic, and recreational services they need.

With thanks,