For Children of Gaza, War Means No School
2024-05-22
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1Atef Al-Buhaisi is a 6-year-old from the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
2He once dreamed of a career building houses.
3Now, all he wants is to return to school.
4In Israel's war with Hamas, Atef's home has been bombed, his teacher killed and his school in Nuseirat made into a refuge for displaced people.
5He lives in a crowded tent with his family in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
6The war started last October. It was Israel's answer to the Hamas attack on October 7.
7The terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 250 hostages from southern Israel.
8Since the start of the war, all of Gaza's schools have closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of students like Atef without formal schooling or a safe place to spend their days.
9Aid groups are working to keep children off the streets and their minds centered on something other than the war.
10"What we've lost most is the future of our children and their education," said Irada Ismael, Atef's grandmother.
11"Houses and walls are rebuilt, money can be earned again...but how do I compensate for (his) education?"
12Aid groups say about 80 percent of Gaza's population has been driven from their homes.
13Much of Gaza is damaged or destroyed, including nearly 90 percent of school buildings.
14The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says more than 35,000 Palestinians, including civilians and fighters, have been killed in the war.
15And the head of the U.N. World Food Program said a "full-blown famine" is already underway in the north.
16Children are among the most severely affected.
17The U.N. estimates some 19,000 children have been orphaned and nearly a third under the age of two face malnutrition.
18In emergencies, education is less important than safety, health and sanitation, education experts say.
19But the effects are lasting.
20Before the war, Gaza was home to more than 625,000 students and some 20,000 teachers, the U.N. says.
21In other conflicts, aid groups can create safe spaces for children in neighboring countries.
22Poland has been used for shelter and schooling for Ukrainians during the war there, for example.
23That is not possible in Gaza, a highly populated area locked between the sea, Israel and Egypt.
24Since October 7, Palestinians from Gaza have not been permitted to cross into Israel.
25Egypt has let a small number of Palestinians leave.
26Tess Ingram is with the children and education organization UNICEF.
27She told the Associated Press, "It's very hard to provide them with certain services, such as mental health and psychosocial support or consistent education and learning."
28Aid groups hope classes will start by September.
29But even if a cease-fire deal is reached, much of Gaza must be cleared of mines.
30And rebuilding schools could take years.
31In the meantime, aid groups are providing activities like games, drawing, and art.
32The activities are not a formal education but provide children with a sense of normalcy.
33Even then, supporters say, their attention often turns to the war.
34Atef's grandmother sees him draw pictures only of tents, planes and missiles.
35Finding free space is among the biggest difficulties.
36Some volunteers use the outdoors, do their best inside tents where people live, or find a room in homes still standing.
37This month, UNICEF had planned to build at least 50 tents for some 6,000 children from preschool to grade 12 to provide some informal schooling.
38But UNICEF says those plans could be disrupted by Israel's operation there.
39Lack of schooling can cause psychological impacts.
40It disrupts daily life and, combined with conflict, makes children more likely to experience anxiety, said Jesus Miguel Perez Cazorla.
41He is a mental health expert with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
42Children in conflicts are also at increased risk of forced labor, sexual violence, trafficking and recruitment by criminal and armed groups, experts warn.
43Samantha Nutt is with War Child USA, a group that supports children and families in war zones.
44She said the children are in danger of being recruited by Hamas and other militant groups.
45The constant violence makes children believe that they "want to take action against the groups they consider responsible," she said.
46Palestinian parents say they have seen more children on the streets trying to earn money for their families.
47Some try to find small ways to teach their children.
48But many say the kids are too distracted, with the world around them at war.
49Sabreen al-Khatib is a mother whose family was displaced to Deir al-Balah from Gaza City.
50She said it is especially hard for the many who have seen relatives die.
51"When you speak in front of children," al-Khatib said, "what do you think he is thinking? Will he think about education? Or about himself, how will he die?"
52I'm Dan Novak.
1Atef Al-Buhaisi is a 6-year-old from the Palestinian territory of Gaza. He once dreamed of a career building houses. Now, all he wants is to return to school. 2In Israel's war with Hamas, Atef's home has been bombed, his teacher killed and his school in Nuseirat made into a refuge for displaced people. He lives in a crowded tent with his family in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. 3The war started last October. It was Israel's answer to the Hamas attack on October 7. The terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 250 hostages from southern Israel. 4Since the start of the war, all of Gaza's schools have closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of students like Atef without formal schooling or a safe place to spend their days. Aid groups are working to keep children off the streets and their minds centered on something other than the war. 5"What we've lost most is the future of our children and their education," said Irada Ismael, Atef's grandmother. "Houses and walls are rebuilt, money can be earned again...but how do I compensate for (his) education?" 6Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis 7Aid groups say about 80 percent of Gaza's population has been driven from their homes. Much of Gaza is damaged or destroyed, including nearly 90 percent of school buildings. 8The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says more than 35,000 Palestinians, including civilians and fighters, have been killed in the war. 9And the head of the U.N. World Food Program said a "full-blown famine" is already underway in the north. 10Children are among the most severely affected. The U.N. estimates some 19,000 children have been orphaned and nearly a third under the age of two face malnutrition. 11In emergencies, education is less important than safety, health and sanitation, education experts say. But the effects are lasting. 12Before the war, Gaza was home to more than 625,000 students and some 20,000 teachers, the U.N. says. In other conflicts, aid groups can create safe spaces for children in neighboring countries. Poland has been used for shelter and schooling for Ukrainians during the war there, for example. 13That is not possible in Gaza, a highly populated area locked between the sea, Israel and Egypt. Since October 7, Palestinians from Gaza have not been permitted to cross into Israel. Egypt has let a small number of Palestinians leave. 14Tess Ingram is with the children and education organization UNICEF. She told the Associated Press, "It's very hard to provide them with certain services, such as mental health and psychosocial support or consistent education and learning." 15Aid groups try to help 16Aid groups hope classes will start by September. But even if a cease-fire deal is reached, much of Gaza must be cleared of mines. And rebuilding schools could take years. 17In the meantime, aid groups are providing activities like games, drawing, and art. The activities are not a formal education but provide children with a sense of normalcy. Even then, supporters say, their attention often turns to the war. Atef's grandmother sees him draw pictures only of tents, planes and missiles. 18Finding free space is among the biggest difficulties. Some volunteers use the outdoors, do their best inside tents where people live, or find a room in homes still standing. 19This month, UNICEF had planned to build at least 50 tents for some 6,000 children from preschool to grade 12 to provide some informal schooling. But UNICEF says those plans could be disrupted by Israel's operation there. 20Lack of schooling can cause psychological impacts. It disrupts daily life and, combined with conflict, makes children more likely to experience anxiety, said Jesus Miguel Perez Cazorla. He is a mental health expert with the International Committee of the Red Cross. 21Children in conflicts are also at increased risk of forced labor, sexual violence, trafficking and recruitment by criminal and armed groups, experts warn. 22Samantha Nutt is with War Child USA, a group that supports children and families in war zones. She said the children are in danger of being recruited by Hamas and other militant groups. The constant violence makes children believe that they "want to take action against the groups they consider responsible," she said. 23Palestinian parents say they have seen more children on the streets trying to earn money for their families. Some try to find small ways to teach their children. But many say the kids are too distracted, with the world around them at war. 24Sabreen al-Khatib is a mother whose family was displaced to Deir al-Balah from Gaza City. She said it is especially hard for the many who have seen relatives die. 25"When you speak in front of children," al-Khatib said, "what do you think he is thinking? Will he think about education? Or about himself, how will he die?" 26I'm Dan Novak. 27And I'm Gena Bennett. 28Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 29________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31formal - adj. requiring or using serious and proper clothes and manners 32compensate - v. to provide something good as a balance against something bad or undesirable 33famine - n. a situation in which many people do not have enough food to eat 34orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead 35malnutrition - n. the unhealthy condition that results from not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food 36anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen 37traffic - v. to buy or sell something especially illegally 38recruit - v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.