Al-Khader Charitable Child Care Society

Location:
Al-Khader City - Bethlehem

Mission:
To improve the quality of life for children with special needs and to prepare them for inclusion into society by integrating them into mainstream education, learning alongside their peers, and by promoting positive attitudes towards persons with special needs.

Project:
In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, 60 percent of the population is under 19 years-old. The ongoing occupation and the humanitarian crisis it creates is an endless source of trauma and frustration, specifically among the young generation who lack the understanding and coping skills that come with adulthood. While many children across the world are enjoying their summers off, this is rarely the case for Palestinian children, especially for those with special needs.

Al-Khader Center in the region of Bethlehem holds annual integrated summer camps aimed at assimilating boys and girls with special needs into their communities by giving them the opportunity to play alongside children without special needs and letting them share in activities together. The children engage in all manner of activities ranging from art and music to sports and theater. This experience is equally valuable for all children: For those with disabilities, it fosters a sense of self-respect, equal rights, and acceptance. For those without special needs, it changes their attitudes toward disabilities and raises awareness as they engage with all children in recreational activities. When the kids leave the summer camps, they return to their communities with a different perspective either on their own abilities, or the abilities of those children around them with special needs. We cannot stress enough the importance of these types of activities in the growth, both mentally and emotionally, of an entire generation of Palestinians.

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