COVID19: Education & Food for Palestinian Children

Whether you are a parent, child, or someone of any age that lives in Khalet Al Amood, a street in the city of Nablus, you would definitely know about Tomorrow’s Youth Organization. For this reason, I have known TYO for the entirety of my life; it is a place I have been to in different parts of and stages of my life: as a child, during my college years, and now as a graduate.

As a child, TYO used to be the place I loved going to especially during summer because of all the fun activities done by the organization. In one summer program, a foreign intern taught a class on learning how to use cameras. After explaining the important parts of the camera, the organization took us to Beit Foreek, a town in Palestine filled with many beautiful farming fields. The trip was like a practical class for us to finally use the camera on our own and take pictures to apply what we learned. We were even handed out cameras to use, and I felt like a grown-up while holding them, and I was so scared to lose or break them.

I remember feeling so proud of myself for being trusted to carry a camera around and take pictures with it freely. This is because many adults believe that children are all irresponsible and incapable of overcoming challenging tasks so they cannot be trusted with expensive devices. However, TYO entrusts its students with trying to learn new skills and making the child believe in themselves. I have found this evident during all the times I have been in TYO. Thanks to TYO, I have fallen in love with photography ever since that class, and now I am saving money to buy a camera to take more high-quality photos like professional photographers. TYO is more than an organization; it is a community where transformative experiences can shape people for life, a place where people of all ages can grow and return year after year.