Tuesday’s Child Blog

Following Yonder Star to Gaza – Day 3
Thursday 7th January 2010

“Let the little children come unto me”

It is a sunny morning in Gaza as we drive to an area that sustained the greatest devastation and loss of life in the war. This is our first day of bearing Christmas gifts to children combined with a party. There are so many children in this locality that the party is restricted to 6-12 year olds. When we arrive the music is already started and the venue is packed to capacity. The music spreads like a jungle beat calling many more children from the locality who gather around outside the gates, eager to join the fun, their curious faces peeking through to find out what all the excitement is about. All of the invited children will receive lunch and gifts provided from the generosity of everyone who supported our Christmas appeal Ireland, North and South. I open the gates to the sheer delight of the children not on the guest list for there is enough room for everyone and we always carry a surplus of toys in tow wherever we go. Mayhem enfolds but it was He who said, “Let the little children come unto me” and it is in His name we work.

Inside clowns are leading the music and the dancing and children line the stage doing traditional Gaza dancing. Others play on the swings and slides and others sit close to their mothers taking it all in. Some of the children here still have injuries from the war, both physical and most mental, for all of these children, despite their happy smiley faces suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Excited enjoy the dancing clowns at the party

A captive audience

Friends enjoying the party

More friends enjoying the party

Children play on the slide

Lunch is organised into several sittings. Some children don’t take anything to eat. A volunteer for the day explains they want to keep the food and take it home to share with their brothers and sisters. The meals are beautifully prepared on party plates by local women here and also include a carton of fruit juice. During lunch we have more singing, followed by a presentation of gifts for each child. As each child comes up to receive their gift there is a huge round of applause from the other children, many eagerly waiting their turn.

As children receive their gifts they return to the music and dancing in the garden. We also have an irish – Palestinian singsong and we teach the children some new songs. The most popular is “Everywhere we go, people always ask us, who we are, where do we come from, and we always tell them, we’re from Gaza, lovely lovely Gaza, and if they don’t hear us, we shout a little louder…” and on it goes as anyone who has ever been to an Irish summer camp will know! I think of the irony of the word, everywhere we go, for these children can go nowhere. This 25 miles of war-torn strip of brutal occupation is their world.

Sing-song before lunch

Lunch which some children choose to take home

Presentation of gifts

Outside the hand puppets are proving to be a big hit. It is a joy to see so many children laughing and having fun. Distributing gifts to the children who gate-crashed the event proves challenging and we are mobbed! The supply of colouring books and crayons picked up en route is proving very handy!

As the children enjoy the party, leaflets fall from the sky. The leaflet shows a rough map of Gaza and the northern border; an Israeli leaflet drop from overhead planes. I ask for a translation. It reads “To the people of Gaza, the IDF repeats its warning against coming within 300 meters of the border. All those who do so expose themselves to danger, as the IDF will take all necessary measures to distance them, including opening fire in certain circumstances. You have been warned!” Such a chilling message in the middle of a children’s party. Unbelievable. I hope none of the children have picked these up and read them. I return to the squeals of fun in the garden and am bombarded by noisy smiling kids begging to have another photo and see themselves on digital camera.

Noor 10 yrs who wants to be a teacher

Fahtma, 11 yrs who wants to be a doctor

Swings and roundabouts

After 4 hours of madness it is time to go home. Children pile onto buses that have seen better days. There are no individual seats and seat-belts here. In many other countries this would be a focus for breach of human rights – the right to safe transport for children. In Gaza, old buses are the least of children’s problems.

We sit down exhausted but happy after the last of the children leave. The party was a great success. Occasionally children pop in with a friend or a sibling looking for spare gifts and to squeals of delight. Colouring books and crayons are a big hit and outside a group of children sit by the swings colouring in. Other children come back and present flowers and I am very touched. One of the flowers is a pink rose, which I will press later. I think of The Little Flower and our prayers to her on New Year’s Eve and all the little flowers that came along today. May God protect each one and hold them in the palm of his hand.

A thank you rose

Time to go home

Last of the children to leave

After the party, we drive to Latatra to visit some families we met on the last trip. En route I notice an elderly gentleman selling his few wares on the side of the road. I stop to give him some business, he has nothing much to sell and I wonder how he can possibly make any money? I note the classic signs of anaemia on his too thin yet fascinating face. I give him some shekels with no purchase and he gives me a smile and says, “if only someone would stop every day and pay me for nothing from my stall, business would be going very well”. Like many Palestinians he has a sharp sense of humour and I enjoy the moment.

Driving on, a list of the dead in this rural area hangs from one building, a poignant reminder of the sheer loss of life here.

Gentleman selling his wares on the side of the road

List of the dead in Latatra from the last war

We will visit two families here. We met both of these families in July and return to see how they are doing. The first family lost their home and, their father, Ahmed, lost both his legs and the eldest boy lost the sight in his left eye. Ahmed looks well, considering. I ask the children what they want to be when they grow up and his middle son offers that he is going to be a doctor so as he can look after his father and make him new legs. Ahmed speaks of the current situation and shares that the future looks very dark and with the news of a steel wall being built along the Egyptian border and potential destruction of the tunnels he worries terribly what is going to happen his family. He is watching footage of the George Galloway convoy arriving into Gaza last night. Of the trouble, he says, it is sad, for if people want to come and offer help and solidarity to Gaza, then this should be respected. He hopes the aid will go to the people. We give the children toys and sweets and cash assistance for food and medicines. Also food supplements fortified with calcium and iron for everyone in the home.

Ahmed and his family

Mother with 4 of her 5 children

We say our good-byes and onto the next family. It is good to see them again. Their father Hussein is not at home, but their mother and the children are. Again we leave her the same, money for medicines for her husband, cash assistance for food, toys and food supplements with directions on how to give these.

The area of Latatra has improved since July. I notice it is cleaner and while bombed out buildings and evidence of war is all around us, much of the rubble is cleared away. The people have worked at this themselves and it is great to see communities taking pride in trying to make things better. In other areas, there is still a lot to do, and rubbish piles reflect the lack of civil services here.

Lack of civil services in Gaza

We call it a day now and go back to base. I give a live radio interview with BBC evening news and hope I have done the situation here justice. I plead for help for many families in need.

Later, I sit and chat with volunteers from other NGOs about their work and their experiences. and then, the sound of overhead plans and the grim news of an air attack in Gaza city hits. F16s have bombed in the Tal Haw Al area, as yet there is no news if anyone has been hurt.

Please God don’t let it start again. No more! These people have suffered too much.

If you are in a position to help any of the families we met during our time in Gaza, please contact us at info@tuesdayschild.co.uk or donate online here »

Continue to read Day 4 »