COVID19: Education & Food for Palestinian Children

At TYO we're celebrating the end of another successful session of programming. Children enrolled in the Core Child Program completed 12 weeks of classes that were devoted to addressing the themes of  Me & My Community, Communication, and Collaboration.

When asked to reflect on the session, TYO Core Teacher, Mufeeda explained that she is reminded of the challenges faced in the first weeks and the resulting sense of accomplishment she now feels for having helped her kids through those first few weeks. Initially children some were hard to engage, refusing to speak in class. For some of these children it was the first time in their lives that they left their refugee camps or neighborhoods. It took a while to build their trust with these children and show them through positive modeling that someone outside their homes can be a role model and care for them.

She went on to explain that nothing makes her more proud and excited than watching those silent children open up over the duration of the session. She reports having three particularly unengaged students but when they at last they smiled, and by week seven even asked to hold hands, she felt immense satisfaction. Teachers at TYO work hard to ensure children aren't only supported in the classroom, but also in the home. As such, teachers make frequent calls to follow-up with parents and relay the progress of their children, notifying parents of any potential issues flagged during class. Mufeeda attributes much of the success she was able to achieve with her children this session to the inclusive approach TYO takes to addressing the needs of children enrolled in the programming as well as the integration of new learning tools.

Of great help this session in engaging students was the inclusion of IT classes in the Core Child Program. Each day children were exposed to age appropriate educational content and games in the computer lab. According to a study by the Alliance for Childhood, for children over 3, ‘some exposure to thoughtfully constructed media content can promote pro-social behaviors and contribute to learning, especially when a caring adult is actively involved.’ IT activities were carefully selected to hone their small motor skills, logic and reasoning skills, and spatial awareness skills. Learning games from sources such as PBS Kids, National Geographic, and Sesame Street provide children with colorful and engaging games from trusted content providers.

We've been so happy to watch children at TYO develop their skills over the last session and with your generous support we can ensure that we have the  necessary resources to provide children in the Nablus community with the robust learning environment they deserve. 

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