With the financial support we’ve had from our supporters, Hope and Play was able to fully fund 5 Summer Games locations in Gaza, as well as supporting in a secondary role the fantastic Games to Gaza team also delivering Summer Games there. In total, you’ve enabled over 1000 kids in Gaza to have access to fun and laughter.

UNRWA has been running Summer Games for over 250,000 children in Gaza for a number of years now. However, very late in the day and unexpectedly in 2012, they pulled out due to financial issues with the camps. This left Gaza’s oppressed children without what had become a vital diversion to their daily hardship in the long summer. Although the local government summer games were still held, their over-religious nature doesn’t lend itself to enjoyment by the children as there isn’t the same focus on laughter and enjoyment.

So the fact that we were able to work with the Canaan Institute of New Pedagogy, who trained most of the UNRWA games facilitators, to run 5 games this summer was welcome news to the children in Wadi Salga, Beit Hanoun, Khan Younis, Rafah and the Magazi refugee camps, towns and villages.

In addition, a team of wonderfully enthusiastic volunteers went from the UK and South Africa in the Games to Gaza team. You can see more about the games they hosted on Games to Gaza’s website. We were proud to have helped them a little on the fundraising side, and delighted to see their success.

Let’s hope that by next summer, Gaza’s children have the opportunities for fun and enjoyment that children all round the world have the right to, free of oppression and enforced poverty.

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