On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 13 and 14, Sister Susan, Sister Frantiska, and Fr. George visited four preschools supported by the Gaza Project and a fifth preschool that will now receive renovation and development help. The Gaza Project has helped the El Arabia preschool located in the Beit Hanoun area in the north for many years. Time has taken its toll on the playground roof, a metal one that blocks too much light. The proposal is for a new heavy-duty roof that will allow light to enter without the heat. The Interior classroom walls need sealing and paint, and the bathroom and kitchen roof needs fixing. Children were active and happy, and an artist painting wall murals shared that he had attended the preschool as a child.
The group returned to Zakhar preschool to see the returning students in their renovated school. The school’s improvements were beautiful. We enjoyed watching the 60 children at work in their classes and relishing their new indoor play area with a carpet of artificial grass. The teachers were as happy as the children.
At Sabah’s office, we discussed the Project’s subsidizing of school fees for those who have little income. We all agreed that a minimal contribution from every family provides a good faith investment in the effort. Our goal is to assure the salaries of the teachers from the fees we help to pay for. We continue to fund the food program that started last week. Sabah showed us a sturdy backpack that was one of 200 purchased for students, an earlier request now fulfilled. She had shopped at numerous stores and found a fantastic price. The team also discussed the renovation of the new school at Beit Hanoun. We also unloaded three tightly packed suitcases of clothes. Sister Frantiska delivers some donated clothes for children and adults of all ages when we come to Gaza.
On Wednesday, we visited two preschools in the Middle camps. The first two we have been helping for some years that of the Barham Tuyour El Sham and the Mosaddar preschool. At the Barham, we met with the staff and discussed an additional classroom and bathroom on the second floor. The Barham School has two new teachers and Sister Susan encouraged their participation in minicourses for preschool teachers and the director agreed. Mosaddar School is well established, and the team agreed to help its students with school supplies. We had the unique opportunity to visit a Bedouin family that lived close to the school. They were happy to see Sister Susan and the school director. The family had 25 adults and 35 children. They continued to cook over an open fire and eat together in Bedouin fashion. This large family lives in multiple dwellings on a single compound.
The final stop before returning to Jerusalem was at Beit Hanoun. The director reviewed the school’s needs with the team. Sabah will work with MECA to coordinate the renovation of the building including new walls, per the permit requirements, rather than partitions. The immediate need is to add shelves to the kitchen and take down the old bathroom structure and build a new one in a better location. This we will begin doing soon.
Additional good news. There are now 15,000 Palestinians from Gaza working in Israel, and the Israeli government foresees increasing that number to 20,000. God bless you all.
