Help Palestinian Children: Education & Support Program

Hey!

I'm Erin, and I'm a humanitarian aid worker who recently left my job in Ukraine and Romania to work with Palestinian kids who've been displaced to Cairo. I have lots of experience working in disaster and conflict zones, and I specialize in working with kids.

Right now, the need is extremely high: estimates put the number of Palestinians who've fled to Egypt at around 100,000, and thousands of them are kids. There's a lot to be done, but as my dad told me, "You don't have to do big things. It's enough to do good things."

The good thing I'm doing? Starting an education project for kids, together with my friend Alaa and her husband Islam. They left Gaza recently with their twin toddlers and infant, and they're passionate about helping kids, too. Together, we're creating a summer program for kids who've missed an entire year of school. Parents are hopeful that they'll be able to enroll their kids in Egyptian schools in the autumn, but there's a lot of work to do between now and then!

Our Goals for Educational Support

• Summer Educational Support: We'll work with Palestinian children on subjects like English, science, math, and art to provide summer activities and help cover the academic year they missed due to the war. This will take place in July and August, before the new school year starts in September.

• Teacher Workshops: We'll set up workshops with psychosocial support professionals to help teachers best support traumatized children.

• Programming Courses: We'll enroll teenage children in programming courses during the summer holiday.

• English Learning: We'll offer English courses to children of different age groups during the summer.

• Ongoing Support: We'll provide extra educational tutorials and courses throughout the 2024-2025 school year.

Breaking Down the Costs

• Rent: to provide secure, safe spaces for our activities.

• Salaries: to pay for dedicated teachers and a project coordinator to ensure high-quality management and monitoring.

• Nutrition: to provide a nutritious meal each day for Palestinian students--some of whom may be experiencing hunger at home due to the financial pressures of living in Egypt.

• Stationery and Materials: to cover the costs of school supplies and printing educational materials.

• Transportation Fees: to ensure students can travel safely to and from activities.

• Creation of Educational Content: to develop and print materials to educate children around the world about Palestine.

Our goal is $10,000 to start, but the more we raise, the more kids we can reach!

How You Can Help

Your support is crucial in making this project a reality. Whether it's a small donation or spreading the word about our fundraiser, every contribution counts and makes a difference in these children’s lives. Education is the key to their future, and with your help, we can provide them with the knowledge and support they desperately need during this critical time.

If you'd like to support us in getting this project started, you can donate directly to our GoFundMe (right here!), or contact Erin to send funds by another means.

Stay Updated

We will keep you updated on a weekly basis with pictures and reports of our activities. Your involvement and generosity can transform the lives of these children!

Thank You!

Please consider donating and sharing our fundraiser with your network. Your help is so appreciated! Research has shown that hope is a deciding factor in whether children build resiliency and process trauma healthily--knowing that they've got the support of people around the world makes such a difference in building that essential hope! Even small donations can change the lives of displaced children.

Donate Now and make a difference!

(A Note from Erin: I am currently in Cairo, and will personally oversee the opening of the project on the ground. I'll also personally package every single Educational Exchange Box when I return to Buffalo in July, and I'll return to Egypt in August to monitor the project. All funds will be distributed through my US bank account, and will be monitored using the same record keeping methods I've used in my work with International NGOs; these records will be available upon request at the end of the project. I will meet each of the teachers and set up the location in person.)