Help Traumatized Palestinian Children

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,