Help Traumatized Palestinian Children

The American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center (AFSCC) is launching a ‘Securing the Future’ campaign to raise $20,000 for improvements in the security and functional spaces used by Palestinian children and the staff of the Spafford Children’s Center (SCC). For over 100 years the mission of the SCC has been to bring healing and hope to Palestinian children and their families in East Jerusalem. Help us meet today’s challenges and prepare for the future by supporting the AFSCC, an all-volunteer organization that raises funds for the SCC.

New Equipment for Occupational Therapy

For Bonus Day on GlobalGiving in mid-July we asked for your help to purchase new equipment for the occupational therapy rooms at the SCC. You responded generously and now some of the new mats and foam structures have arrived ready to help eager children learn and grow under the guidance of a professional occupational therapist. The children use the large foam blocks to build obstacle courses that they can climb, crawl, and squirm their way through. The process of stacking and moving the oversized, but lightweight blocks help the children learn spatial concepts and build core muscles. This boy is ready to jump onto the red and yellow rocker and then to the lavender one. It takes coordination and his therapist stands ready to help.

Learning Arabic

Using flashcards with words and syllables, the Arabic teacher at the SCC encourages language acquisition through repetition and understanding the structures of words and sentences.

The teachers at the SCC skillfully encourage children with learning challenges. Palestinian children learn their native language, Arabic, and also English and Hebrew meaning many are tri-lingual before high school. Multilingual learners with sensory or processing difficulties may be confronted with additional challenges that the teachers at the SCC address every day. Their approach is strengths-based and focuses on collaboration with the child, his or her parents, and the other professionals at the SCC. 

Using a sand tray, children at the SCC get the feel of a letter by drawing it in the purple sand using the poster as a guide for the shape of the letter. Bringing tactile and visual cues together helps children learn and retain what they have mastered.

Psychodrama Sessions

Recently the SCC welcomed 30 students, aged 7–10, from a local school in Jerusalem for an engaging and interactive psychodrama session. Led by psychodrama trainer, Yazan, the children participated in a series of sketches using puppets to explore important topics such as bullying among students, respect for others, and safe and appropriate boundaries between children and adults. 

Through storytelling, puppetry, and interactive activities, the children were encouraged to express themselves, reflect on everyday situations, and learn positive ways of communicating and interacting with others.

The sessions had full engagement and enthusiastic responses from the students. The SCC harnesses the power of creative approaches such as psychodrama to promote children’s emotional well-being and social awareness. 

Your donations through GlobalGiving to the American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center, a 501c3 organization devoted to raising funds for the SCC, help provide the services Palestinian children in East Jerusalem need to grow and develop to their potential.

Please give as generously and frequently as you can.