Welsh group raises funds for displaced children attending Gaza tent school

Martin Shipton

A group based in west Wales is raising funds to support a tent school for displaced children that it has helped establish in Gaza.

More than 14,500 children are estimated to have been killed since the Israeli Defence Forces invaded Gaza following the attacks by Hamas on Israel in October 2023.

Thousands more are “missing”, presumed buried under the rubble, their deaths unmarked. The life-saving aid which families rely on has either been drip-fed or denied by Israeli authorities, while essential services have been decimated by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and hostilities.

At the same time the vast majority of schools have been destroyed by the IDF, as well as the homes of the children who attended them. Most people are now living in tents.

Supporting

Sue Davies of West Wales Friends Of Palestine said: “We have been befriending and supporting people on the West Bank for the last ten years, and as a result we were asked to support the setting up of a tent school for refugee children in Deir Al – Balah in central Gaza.

“This is an area with over 300 families living in tents. The children have been repeatedly displaced and unable to attend school. With our group’s help, local workers have set up a school in December providing over 200 children aged 5-12 with education, counselling and food for thee days a week.

“We have called it the Sumud School because Sumud is an Arabic word, special to Palestinians, embodying steadfastness and resilience.

“We originally funded the school to provide for 60 children a week. On the day the school opened 500 children turned up with their families. By only offering three half days a week to each child, the school has now been able to provide for 200 children.

“But there are many children left, and parents come every day to ask if the school can expand. The Sumud School is delighting their pupils, as you can see from the smiles on their faces( see photos attached), they have notebooks and pencils but at the moment they must write resting on the floor. They need chairs and desks but even six of each(for the children to use in rotation )will cost more than £1000.

“So the school needs improving and expanding. We are a small group and cannot do this on our own. Although many individual donors in West Wales have come forward with small sums to support us it is not enough to respond to this huge demand. So we would like to turn this into an All Wales initiative by finding sponsor All Wales organisations who can afford to make either a large one off donation or commit £100 or more each month. The Sumud School sign would then recognise them as sponsors.

A statement on the website of the charity Save the Children states: “As of March 30 2024, the Education Cluster estimates that 87.7% of all school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. 212 school buildings have had a direct hit and could be severely damaged and a further 282 have sustained moderate, minor or likely damage.

“Previously 503,500 children attended, and 18,900 teachers taught at the school buildings which have now had a direct hit or sustained major or moderate damage. Out of the 16 university campuses in Gaza, four have been destroyed, and 10 have been severely or moderately damaged.

Challenges

It added: “Due to the challenges to access areas, particularly in Gaza and North Gaza governorates, the Education Cluster administered a Satellite-derived Damage Assessment in Gaza to verify initial school damage data.

“The findings are shocking. The satellite images show the scale of the bombardment on hundreds of schools. International Humanitarian law (IHL) grants schools’ general protection against direct attacks: a direct attack against a school violates the rule of distinction and constitutes a breach of IHL. Attacks on schools are a grave violation against children in conflict.

“The destruction shown also demonstrates the devastating, lasting impact on a generation of children’s learning. Their learning has already been cut-off due to this conflict. But once hostilities cease, they will have no schools to return to.

“When children are out of school for a long period, their learning does not just stop but is also likely to regress. We know from previous crises that the longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that they do not return. This risks their prospects in the longer-term, including their income, and their mental and physical health, while they may also be at greater risk from violence and abuse.”

Organisations and individuals wishing to donate to the tent school can do so via the group’s website here.