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The aftermath of war in Gaza: Responding to compounded trauma
26 May 2009 19:46:00 GMT
 Source: Church World Service
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Girls playing a game during a physical education class at their school in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp in Gaza.
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Girls playing a game during a physical education class at their school in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp in Gaza.
Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT

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May 26, 2009

By Steve Weaver Church World Service/ACT

GAZA CITY -- In the courtyard of Halima Alsadia School in Gaza City a group of boys form a circle. There are two boys inside the circle. One of them periodically claps his hands and the other boy, who is blindfolded, tries to catch him. The boys squeal with laughter at this simple game.

Near the garden a group of girls play the "Parachute Game." A social worker guides the girls through a process of remembering painful memories and happy memories. At the end the girls put the painful memories, written on pieces of paper, in the center of a parachute. Then, each taking an edge of the fabric, they scatter the bad memories by shaking the parachute.

Meanwhile, in an upstairs classroom a 4th grade class watches a puppet show in which the puppets talk about being afraid at night since the bombings.

These activities, supported by Action by Churches Together and member DanChurchAid, are being carried out in 12 schools for about 6,000 students in the wake of the aftermath of 22 days of Israeli air, sea and ground assaults in Gaza that ended in January of this year.

"During the war, in January, we were assisting people with food," said DCA representative Omar Almajdalawi. "People said, 'Thank you for the food, but how do I get my child to stop crying?'"

The current funding for this program is for six months, but Almajdalawi would like to secure funding for a year or more. "This is not a short-term project. And it is no less essential than food," he said.

Samar, a 6th grade student at the school, explained the importance of these school activities. "We passed through a lot of pain, fear and sadness. During the war we couldn't do what we wanted. It was like being in a prison. We had no control of our day to day lives. These activities provide relief, little by little."

ACT member Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees is also finding ways to respond to the psychosocial needs of children, at its Darraj Health Clinic.

On a recent morning the waiting room was full of women with infants who had come to the clinic for the infant care program. A social worker conducted an information session for the women as they waited. She shared information about what families can expect following traumatic experiences.

Families in need of additional support are identified for more intensive follow-up. DSPR began the service shortly after the war and hopes to extend it to the other two clinics they operate in Gaza as well.

When asked what issues the children are dealing with, clinic supervisor Asma Abuhassan said, "Fear of noises, of being alone, of the dark. Lack of concentration... And us too!" she added with a laugh, referring to herself and her colleagues standing around her.

The recent war in Gaza has compounded issues for the people of Gaza stemming from years of embargo, occupation and economic deprivation. Responding to the psychosocial impact of this combination requires developing skills and sustainable programs. Constantine Dabbagh, executive secretary of DSPR-Gaza, noted that a number of current interventions in the non-governmental community are "one off" workshops with no follow-up.

"We need to develop ongoing programs to support our staff and communities," he said.

ACT International is assisting in this effort. ACT psychosocial coordinator Paivi Muma is working with ACT partners YMCA East Jerusalem, International Orthodox Christian Charities and the Al Ahli Hospital, as well as DSPR and DCA, as the various groups work to meet the needs of their staff and to develop programs to meet the needs of Gaza residents.

"The staff of ACT member agencies went through a very difficult period," said Muma. "If we are going to provide good support to the communities we work in, we also need to take care of our staff." To this end Muma is conducting a series of "staff care" workshops for staff from all ACT partners in Gaza. "We were very grateful to have the debriefing for our staff," says Suhaila Tarazi, director of Al Ahli Hospital. "Very good recommendations came out of it. The staff say the support has helped them in their work."

In addition to debriefing of staff, a series of additional workshops will be conducted in the coming months. These workshops will focus on a variety of topics aimed at providing the knowledge and skills for effective and sustainable psychosocial interventions with beneficiaries and communities.

ACT member agencies are planning a variety of activities and programs to respond to the various needs they are encountering. A sampling: In addition to community outreach through its clinics DSPR plans on conducting six summer camps for children, which will include field trips, sports and artistic activities. A total of about 600 children will participate in these camps.

Al Ahli Hospital has established a special psychosocial team to conduct trainings and to oversee the translation of a number of psychosocial materials into Arabic. IOCC and the YMCA will be providing individual counseling for severely affected children as well as holding a summer camp for children in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and Orthodox School.

"The 22 days of war and years of deprivation will require a variety of programs," said Paivi Muma. "We need community focused programs for children and caregivers as well as more individual interventions for those most severely affected."

Back at the Halima Alsadia School, Principal Naheel Hashish said,"After the war the children weren't active. They wanted to be alone. Now they are talking and playing and sharing. I hope the program can continue."

In a garden, a group of half a dozen girls are painting. These girls are among the severely affected. Most of the girls are sitting in the grass as they paint. One young girl, however, is sitting awkwardly on the edge of her chair trying to avoid pressure to the burns on her legs she sustained from white phosphorous.

She is explaining the painting she holds in her lap. "This is my house. I was here," she said, pointing to a stick figure on the second floor. "This plane bombed my house and it was burned. This is my brother and this is my uncle." She pointed to figures lying in front of the house. "They are dead. And I was burned."

Church World Service is a member of ACT--the Action by Churches Together International coalition--and supports work in the Middle East in cooperation with ACT, as well as with local and regional partners. Steve Weaver is Middle East Regional Coordinator for Church World Service.

How to help Contributions to support Church World Service emergency response and recovery efforts may be made online, by phone (800.297.1516), or sent to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

Media Contacts: Lesley Crosson, 212-870-2676 lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 24/7, 781-925-1526 jdragin@gis.net




[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Tue May 26 19:52:05 2009