FCA working with partners in Gaza to provide education opportunities & emotional support to children

FCA is partnering with local organisations in Gaza City, Khan Younis and al-Bureij to make sure children have access to education and psychosocial support even in the midst of ongoing devastating violence, attacks and severe humanitarian crisis.  

ACCORDING TO UNICEF over 1 million children traumatized due to the war in Gaza are in need of mental health and psychosocial support. Every child in Gaza has missed out on over one and a half school years as no formal education has been available since the start of the war in October 2023.

There are currently no schools functioning in Gaza, leaving approximately 658,000 school-aged children in urgent need of access to education opportunities, according to UN OCHA.  As of 1 April 2025, the UN estimates that 95.2% of all school buildings have been either damaged or destroyed in the conflict, meaning that the need for non-formal teaching in temporary settings, like settlements for displaced people, is expected to remain very high for the foreseeable future.

After a short ceasefire in the beginning of 2025, the war has continued with Israeli heavy military operations across Gaza strip including land annexation and forced displacements of civilians. The humanitarian needs are more severe than ever in the 1.5 years of the war, after Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza at the beginning of March.  

With its partners FCA is responding to children’s urgent needs. Schools are so much more than just education, in times of crisis. Schools provide psychosocial support, food, education, and hopefully also a moment to play with friends and forget the harsh realities they live in.

Gaza City

In Gaza City, FCA partners with PYALARA, a local Palestinian organisation, to provide learning and recreational activities to 180 children in grades one to three.  Based in three temporary learning spaces in tents in the city, children attend short three-week courses, where they also receive water and nutritious snacks as well as basic school equipment such as backpacks and stationery. 

Many children were IDPs in the south of the Gaza Strip for much of the conflict and returned to Gaza City only during the recent ceasefire at the start of the year. Given

the level of destruction, many are living in camps in Gaza City, therefore the tents are located near camps for displaced people. 

A combination of teachers and counsellors provide non-formal learning activities, covering basic literacy and numeracy, as well as psychosocial support and activities designed to reduce stress and anxiety in the children.  FCA is supporting with funding for the tents that make the majority of the temporary learning spaces, teachers and counsellors, educational supplies and snacks. 

Khan Younis

In Khan Younis, FCA is partnering with al-Nayzak organisation to provide remedial education to 700 children in grades 7-8 in the core subjects of Arabic, English, Maths and Science. 

These activities take place in six temporary learning spaces across the city, and children will attend for three hours a day, three times a week, for four months. FCA provides support by sharing expertise with teachers and staff, paying teacher salaries and funding healthy snacks for the children.

Teachers are trained in how to integrate mental health and emotional support into the learning experience to provide emotional support to children affected by the war.  They are following an accelerated curriculum designed by al-Nayzak educational experts in coordination with the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education.  

al-Bureij

FCA is also works with IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) and its local partner al-Bureij Society for Community Rehabilitation, to provide psychosocial support to 170 children with pre-existing disabilities and children who have been injured since the start of the war.

Specialist trained counsellors are providing both group recreational sessions and individual psychological support to children who are struggling to adapt to their new injuries and disabilities, and to children whose disabilities make them even more vulnerable to the impacts of the conflict. In addition, counsellors are also offering support to their caregivers to enable them to be able to support their children as they seek to adapt to their injuries and cope with the effects of the war.

FCA is currently seeking further funding to continue work with all partners to ensure children in Gaza can access their right to education and get psychosocial support.

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Read more about how you can support our work in Gaza: https://www.kirkonulkomaanapu.fi/en/latest-news/articles/appeal-the-middle-east-needs-lasting-peace/