Gaza news update from Rafah

Note, this is a Child sponsorship update from the SOS Children's Village Rafah from Winter 2008, just prior to the recent fighting. We generally publish sponsorship updates online some time after the sponsors receive them and in this case much has happened in the meantime; however it offers an opportunity for reflection on what was there before the fighting.

The time has come to post to you the progress of our mission that is supported by you. And to let you watch your efforts blooming into our village.

The Children in their Village
We are happy to see our dear children growing day by day. By your valuable support and encouragement, we are happy to inform you that all of the children are in good condition. Annually, we do a full check up for all the children. Thank God, this year most of our children enjoy good health, except for normal illness like cold or flu, etc. One little boy, Mohamed, his leg got broken while he was playing football with his friends in the village playground but now he is doing well.

Warm and tender hugs for Needy Children
Recently, we admitted six orphan children from one family who lost their parents. Their ages are between five months and ten years. They are heartily welcomed by their SOS mother, siblings at the SOS home and all SOS families and staff. The children miss their original family so much that they cry most of the time. The kind SOS mother offers all her compassion and love to make them feel at home, and she pays a great attention and care to the two youngest children. Step by step the children begin to adjust with their new family.

Trip to Balloon Park at the End of Summer Holiday
The children had a nice summer holiday which was full of many activities: clown shows, invitations to cinema festival or theater, summer camps, trips to the beach and other nice places they enjoyed to visit. This made them so happy, active and full of life. Also, with all this big joy, the Village director accompanied SOS families to Leadoo Park where they had a lot of fun playing games with big balloons. In the park, there were two swimming pools and the children spent happy times swimming. They enjoyed their lunch in a nice restaurant in the park. All the children and mothers returned to the village with a big smile on their faces.

Children's music room

SOS Rafah has great pleasure to announce completion and launching of the Music Room, the kids were brought to see their new music room which was like a dream come true to them by the help of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem. A music teacher and some assistance played the first melodies and tunes on the instruments by playing some traditional Arabic music and songs.

Besides, a group of children were selected to be the first to learn on the music instruments to join the Village's folklore music band and the choral band. Music lessons were scheduled for the school's students also. The Village's Director watched the process closely from the first day the Music Room started it's first step and has done lots of efforts to make the project see the light and bring a smile and laughter to the faces of the children.

SOS School and Nursery School
September first, the students in school and nursery school started new schooling year with great joy. In the first day the students were provided with their new uniforms, books and complete stationary for the first term.

From year to year we tried to improve our ways of education under supervision of the Village Director, the Headmistress and an educational specialist set an educational plan to facilitate the difficulties in the Palestinian curriculums for the students in the primary grades. According to the new plan, the teachers will focus on the basic schooling subjects like "Arabic, English, Science and Math", besides depending on complete education process to help and insure that the student take complete information and they focus on attention on the students from first to fourth grade to teach them the basic skills like reading, writing, counting …etc.

Another procedure in the plan is decreasing numbers of the classes in the senior subjects like national and civil subjects and not makes the students busy in a lot of homework or researches in the senior subjects. This plan set to make the educational process easier for the student and they can concentrate in specific skills and information that should be taught. This plan was set as an experiment, evaluating the performance of the students and their conclusion learning to find the good and the weak points in the educational plan.

SOS Youth Houses
From our care of all issues concerning the youths' development and progress, the youth leaders went in a follow up visits to schools where the youths study outside the village. They asked the teachers about the youth’s progress to find the weak points which should be supported in. Thus, most of them need to be supported in the basic subjects English and Math. In assistance with two professional teachers in both above mentioned subjects, the teachers began with the youth with basic things in the subjects and continued focusing on their curriculums.

Children's rights

As starting cooperation between the Village and the UNRWA Medical Centre, medical lectures about Breast Cancer and Urethra-inflammation were held for the SOS mothers and aunties. The doctor explained how to recognise and find out Breast Cancer early and procedures which should be taken if there is any suspicion of this disease. Besides the doctor and the nurse did free checks up for all attending, thank God all SOS mothers enjoy good health. And in the near future several lectures will be held to aware our mothers and staff of useful medical issues.

Child protection policy

SOS Children's Village Rafah one of the organisations that concerns and works within child's rights convention, and had different activities in this field supporting and calling for giving the child their right of protection and to reinforce this important subject in the village first and then in the outside community, we held workshops about child protection and child's rights. The village organised these workshops in cooperation with experts in this field from El Mezan Center for Human Rights and doctors of psychology from Al Aqsa University to recognise and elaborate child's rights. During the workshop vital subjects were discussed like protecting the child of all kinds of abuse and torture and saving child's rights of good life, education, play, health…etc besides her/his civil rights. Through discussion and participants contributions we joined among the SOS International standers, child protection policy and convention of child's rights.

Last but not least, let's welcome the year 2009 with happy wishes to you from all SOS children, mothers and staff members. We all say to you

With kind regards,

Wael Abu Mustafa
Village Director - Rafah

*** note: We would like to tell you if unfortunately you did not receive this letter before Dec 25th , its due to the situation in Gaza strip and border closure.