We asked - you responded

Thank you to everyone who sent messages of solidarity and support to our partners in Gaza. Sometimes, just knowing people care helps them feel less isolated.

From one of our partners in Gaza
Thank you so much for sending these powerful and emotional messages. It is so important to hear voices of conscience and support, to hear the people who stand with justice at the time when the world decided to be silent

Child Smile

Child Smile works with children in Gaza, supporting them, through drama therapy, to cope with war, displacement and loss.

They have just completed the first month of a three-month project funded by Palestine Play Projects, already reaching 400 children across five different areas of Gaza. Each child takes part in seven sessions, each lasting two and a half hours.

The workshops provide psychosocial support through drama and the innovative “Magic Glove” approach, helping children recognise emotions such as fear, anger, sadness and joy — and equipping them with strategies to cope.

The impact has been so encouraging that we are now exploring how to expand the programme to reach even more children.
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But we cannot do this without you.
Be the reason a child smiles.

“I joined the Magic Glove workshop and hope it comes back again. I learned many things, like the Helping Hand: What is happening? What are your feelings? What are your negative thoughts? What are your positive thoughts? What can you do to feel better? Who can help you? I learned the difference between what I can control and what I cannot. I learned not to bottle up my feelings and not to hold back my tears. ... The workshop changed me a lot—I became more curious and eager to discover. … Thank you for everything you taught us.”
Islam, 13 years old
“This was one of the best workshops my children ever joined. They were very excited and happy. Luna is calm and expressive, and I found the workshop very suitable for her age as she is growing and her thinking is developing. … Ahmad, though younger, was very committed and excited to attend. I am grateful we live close to the centre so my kids can attend. I notice big differences compared to other children who don’t have access to such workshops. My children grew up too fast because of the war, and I believe such workshops are very suitable for their current reality.”
Mother of Luna (10) and Ahmed (7)

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CFTA

The Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA) aims to provide children in Gaza with safe and supportive spaces to express themselves through play activities, music, and artistic creativity. Despite the war, and displacement from Khan Younis, the workshops we have funded are going ahead, although the sessions are not as long as planned because of acute hunger.

We cannot imagine what the people of Gaza are experiencing, but we stand in solidarity with them. We will continue to support in any way we can. All children have the right to play.​

Children’s Right to Play

We are a non-political charity, registered in the UK, run solely by volunteers. 
We believe children across the world have the right to play, no matter where they live.
[We are grateful to Playgrounds for Palestine in the USA for their guidance and support over the last 8 years, but, through mutual agreement given our differing focus.  we have changed our charity name and are no longer affiliated.] 

Play is a vital component to children’s development, and is so important that it is enshrined as a right in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, recognising children’s rights to
“rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”. 
-UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, Article 3

We strive to help provide Palestinian children with play opportunities, from building physical playgrounds where possible to delivering drama, art, or play therapy sessions where needed.

More about our Work in Gaza

The catastrophic violence in Gaza meant that we could not rely on our traditional model of playground building to reach Palestinian children. We decided that if we could not build physically, we would build emotionally.
Expanding our previous approach, we partnered with Child Smile, a local drama therapy group, to provide workshops for displaced children in Gaza. The impact was incredible, with children expressing the confidence and joy the sessions gave them.
7 to 16  ages of the children
144  sessions run
240  children participating

We are now partnering with CFTA (Culture and Free Thought Association), also in Gaza, where we are funding art, music and drama therapy sessions with the aim of restoring well-being and creativity for children in Khan Younis.  In their words:
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"The Gaza Strip continues to face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, severely affecting children’s education, emotional well-being, and creative development. The destruction of infrastructure, displacement, and psychological trauma have left children with limited access to artistic and cultural expression. In response, this project will provide safe spaces for children to explore artistic drawing and creative expression as a means of fostering resilience, self-expression, and emotional healing."

Artistic drawing and creative expression workshops  150 children, 75 boys and 75 girls, including 10% of children with disabilities
Music and choir activities  150 children, 75 boys and 75 girls, including 10% of children with disabilities
Recycled art and creative works  50 children, 25 boys and 50 girls, again including 10% of children with disabilities

Indirect beneficiaries include 1500 children and family members engaged through art exhibitions and performances.

Together, we can make children smile.

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Our Work in East Jerusalem and the West Bank
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New projects include:

Burin
In the West Bank village of Burin, a playground once left incomplete now stands ready to bring joy, thanks to UK PfP’s support. Despite the ongoing conflict, we're thrilled to announce that the play equipment has been successfully installed. When peace returns, we look forward to adding more equipment, especially for the youngest children, so they can continue to enjoy a safe space to play and use their imagination.

Wadi Hilweh
​We are now fundraising to refurbish a playground at the Wadi Hilweh Park, near Silwan in East Jerusalem. It is surrounded by residential areas, two schools, two community centres, and a kindergarten, making it easily accessible for the local community.
In addition to the playground they would love a stage for performances. Will you help us reach our target of £20,000?

Support like yours enables us to continue to provide critical play opportunities to Palestinian children. We can't do it without you.
Thank you!

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​Our work includes helping young hearts heal from the trauma of war. ​Please help if you can.

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