By UNRWA Public Information Office - Over the weekend UNRWA’s psycho-social community project culminated in an epic kite flying event held in the village of Al Walajeh located between Jerusalem and the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
As part of the event students from local UNRWA schools on Sunday flew 300 kites and filled the sky above the village – which is threaten by the construction of the West Bank Barrier – with color.
The activity is part of a wider project which provides stress-relieving opportunities and psycho-social support for students and school staff in marginalized communities, who live with the threat of violence and other pressures such as the threat of home demolition and eviction.
The activity was implemented in Al Walajeh Co-ed School and Batteer Basic School for Girls, in cooperation with Ansar, a community-based organization in Al Walajeh. Approximately 300 boys and girls took part in this activity which started on 30 April 2011 with kite-making sessions. After making the kites, children painted them with bright motifs and designs. During the celebration the team with the best kite and the most cooperative team spirit were awarded prizes. The event was attended by UNRWA head teachers, Ansar representatives and the local community.
The project is part of UNRWA’s protection programme which is generously funded by ECHO. The programme assists some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank with a focus on those under threat of forced displacement due to the Barrier and the measures carried out by the Israeli forces in Area C. The project also contributes towards promoting a safe, and stimulating school environment, which complimenting the aims of UNRWA’s Education Recovery Plan.
UNRWA provides assistance, protection and advocacy for some 4.8 million registered Palestine refugees in the region, pending a solution to their plight. The Agency's services encompass education, health care, social safety-net, camp infrastructure and improvement, community support, microfinance and emergency response, including in times of armed conflict.
