Half the population of Gaza is under the age of 18. For these children, life has been characterised by conflict, poverty and despair.
Throughout the year, children in Gaza schools spend their days in overcrowded classrooms, not having the opportunity to take part in any extracurricular activities because of the high demand for classroom space and teaching staff just to provide basic education to students.
Years of destruction and deprivation across Gaza have left few or no spaces in which children can safely play or take part in activities to help them learn and develop.
With the help of Australia, 250,000 children in Gaza took part in a six-week summer camp, organised by the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), allowing them to learn and play in a safe environment.
UNRWA is building on lessons learned over the past four years from previous Summer Games and on feedback from children, parents and teachers to provide experiences that will create lasting benefit and happy memories. The Summer Games is a key pillar in UNRWA’s human development programming in Gaza, promoting human rights and gender equality through action on the ground.
Australia’s support to the Games provides opportunities and experiences that will create lasting benefit to these children. The children participated in camps across the Gaza Strip at almost 300 locations including in schools, on beaches and in orphanages and hospitals and enjoyed activities such as art, theatre, sports, games, music and dance.
'The Gaza Summer Games gave kids a space to learn, get active and make new friends—opportunities they rarely get,' said Chris Gunness of UNRWA.
'Not only are the kids able to get active and play safely, they also discuss topics such as human rights and health. The kids get to enjoy a moment of normalcy amidst extraordinarily challenging circumstances.'
Sport provides a wide range of benefits for people in every country. It brings people together and can even engender a sense of national pride. It keeps bodies healthy and souls happy. AusAID supports various Sports for Development programs because whatever the game and wherever the country, sport can play an important part in development.
AusAID funds the Summer Games as part of a larger program to support refugees and vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Australian support to the region has contributed to:
helping more than 470,000 Palestinian refugees to attend school in West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan through support to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA—50 per cent of school enrolments were girls, demonstrating an important step towards promoting equal rights for women in Palestinian society
improving water and sanitation facilities in 105 schools, constructing seven kilometres of sewerage networks, and providing safe water to over 300 households in the West Bank and Gaza in cooperation with UNICEF and Australian non-government organisations
providing emergency and humanitarian assistance through short-term employment for up to 54,000 refugees, health care for 15,000 Palestinian refugee children in schools by supporting UNRWA’s activities, and health care for 160,000 pregnant women and mothers in Gaza in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
More information
UNRWA Summer Games
Australia’s aid program in the Palestinian Territories
