The YMCA Rehabilitation Program

The Emergency Response to the Current situation in Palestine

Oct 2000

The Intifada continues and the clashes are still there. Almost three months passed with no signs or indications that things are moving towards stability. The killing of some 350 Palestinians and wounding of some other 15,000 ( 1,500 of which will be with permanent disabilities) is a clear evident  that the situation is tense and keeps escalating in different shapes and means.

The shelling of the civilian properties by Israeli tanks and choppers and the assassinations operations committed by the Israeli soldiers, have deepened the living conditions and accumulated more sufferings and difficulties in the Palestinian side. The damage occurred in the houses of the civilians has had great effect on the social and living conditions in the Palestinian Territories. Some locations and neighborhoods are fully evacuated and others become with more dense. This leaves people with serious question to ask. When the shelling will stop? Who will repair the damaged houses? Will it be repaired? Etc…

Basing on this and according to the YMCA Rehab Program work experience in the last two months, the Emergency Program was evaluated and the conclusions were as follows:

       1.         The Emergency program and its activities were and still are important and suit the basic current needs of the Palestinian society.

       2.         The developments of the situation in Palestine make the YMCA assume responsibility to keep providing the services to the affected children and their families. Besides, the YMCA must respond to the other socio-economic needs of the affected families and other activities and services must be added in this regard. Such as creating as many as possible job opportunities and to enlarge the services of repairing the damaged houses and develop the services of the emergency needs of the affected people.

The following is the list of the activities that the YMCA includes in the Emergency Program:

        ·          Children supporting services

       1.         Play and Art therapy and group and individual psycho-social counseling

       2.         Group entertainment activities using music and theatre that aim at creating a psychological balance

       3.         Group and individual psycho-social counseling for the affected children’s parents

       4.         Distributing gifts among the affected children at X-mas and Al-fiter Islamic feast

        ·    Training on Crisis Intervention

       1.         Training of the concerned social workers of the other local organizations

       2.         Training of the teachers and school counselors of the pre-schools, kindergartens and schools

       3.         Training of the school and academic administrators on the importance of the psychological impact and the difficult circumstances on students and teachers

       4.         Producing and distributing of  materials on dealing with children in emergencies

       5.         Producing of a manual of the paintings and drawings made by the affected children to be used as a training material

        ·          Urgent social services

       1.         Food stamps and other urgent needs for poor families

       2.         Creating job opportunities for the unemployed

        ·          Repair the houses that were damaged by the shelling

The Program Budget

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