A few weeks ago, Maysa’s house was bombed. She was not physically harmed, but her studio was destroyed. Here in this message from Gaza she shares her thoughts and fears as she works to support the children living around her in Deir El Balah.

Click here to see more from Maysa on Instagram.

What I share with you is like documenting everything that happens to us, including all the small details.

The kids come to me scared, annoyed, upset, and very sad. We’re hearing news from the North. The children who come to me are from this area, so they are understandably upset. They hear about their families starving, being displaced, and facing bombings. You can immediately tell that they are emotionally distraught.

It’s true that they color and draw, and maybe they leave feeling a little better, but the circumstances we live in remain the same—there’s a lot of stress and tension. Almost every day, we are facing bombings that occur very close to our area. This is why I started holding workshops either just inside my house or by the door. That way, should anything happen, like a bombing or a need to move, we are always close to home.

I also want to mention that the children themselves ask for these workshops. They tell me they are bored and suggest activities. We have slowly started online learning for them, so at least they are now somewhat occupied with studies.

Even though they may seem happy as they colour and draw, they are still very scared. My area used to be surrounded by tents, and I honestly loved seeing them around our home; it made me feel like the place was a bit safer.

Maysa’s studio in her home was bombed; she lost most of her art materials.

But now, the houses have been demolished and the whole area is destroyed. Some children returned and told me, “We thought you were gone, Miss, and that you would never come back because your house was bombed.” They helped me recover some paper, colours, and cardboard from under the rubble.

I had many ideas for activities, but we lost a lot of our materials and tools, and we can’t find them in the market. Everything is very scarce—if there isn’t food, how can we expect to find paper and colours?

So the children started suggesting ideas for activities. I decided on cut-and-paste projects because we can use coloured paper, cardboard, or even candy wrappers—we can create nice things without needing a lot of materials. They enjoyed the cut-and-paste activities, and we’ve had two sessions so far. Yesterday’s workshop was exceptionally creative. They enjoyed it so much that they asked if we could do it again.

Some of the displaced children I’m working with have come from the north and from Rafah. The people from Rafah are particularly emotionally distraught, and we continue to see on the news how their houses and large areas are completely destroyed. Each time we have a session, the children draw houses and express their desire to go back home. I often think about what homes are left for them to go to? I made a little video about each child, including their age and what they like to draw. I hope to send it to you soon, but the internet continues to be unreliable.

We are extremely grateful for your support in helping us with the children. They need this outlet for their anger, frustration, and trauma. I also want to mention that my husband is a psychologist with a master’s degree. He is working with people in the tents in Zawayda and Deir al-Balah. Sometimes he talks to the children, gives them advice, and tries to alleviate their fears and stress. I feel that the children feel better when they come to me, and being around my home helps reduce their anxiety and fear. We strive to support them so they can keep smiling, despite the situation we’ve been forced into.

Hopefully, in the future, this will all come to an end. Nothing lasts forever; sooner or later this crisis will become a memory, and we hope that everyone will be able to return to their homes.

A collage of children proudly showing their creations which they painted with Maysa in workshops that took place in late October/early November 2024 in Deir El Balah.

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