Democratic Palestine : 16 (ص 24)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 16 (ص 24)
- المحتوى
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How do you select the children?
We have an application to be filled out by the children’s
parents or guardians, which focuses on the child’s social envi-
ronment. We accept 200 children every year, but we receive
about 600 applications. It is a difficult job to choose whom to
accept. We give priority to those from the poorest families, chil-
dren of martyrs and orphans.
What are the qualifications of the educational per-
sonnel?
High school graduation is the minimum requirement for
our teachers. For the first year, she would be an assistant in a
class with another teacher. We also have an annual 15-day
training course. For the last five years, all the Kanafani Found-
ation’s teachers have been sent to Beirut College for speciali-
Zation in education. During the training year, a close watch is
kept on the new teacher to see her development. Sometimes
we have to extend the training period for an extra year.
Do you give the children a patriotic education?
We educate our children about their surroundings and
about their homeland, Palestine. We explain to them that they
are only here temporarily, because their families were forced to
leave Palestine. We tie everything we teach to Palestine, like
lemons and oranges. We talk about Palestinian tradition. With
such work, we make the kindergarten a revolutionary center
where children grow up knowing about their people and coun-
try.
What days do you celebrate in the school?
We observe all national occasions and religious holidays
(Moslem and Christian). On days like Martyrs’ Day and Land
Day, we have a program for drawing Palestinian flags and
singing nationalist songs. The children dress in the colors of
the Palestinian flag, and we send cards to their families.
How is your relationship with the children’s
families? Do you relate the education at the kinder-
garten with the education at home?
Visiting the families is part of our educational program. We
believe that without a positive attitude at home, we cannot be
successful in our work. Every two months we have a general
family meeting. We discuss the psychological conditions of the
children, and our educational approach. We have strong rela-
tions with the families.
Is there follow-up on the children after they leave
the kindergarten?
That is also part of our program. Every year 100 children
leave the kindergarten and enter elementary school. At mid-
year we visit these schools and get reports on the children.
This is important for us, because it is how we see the results of
our educational work. We notice that most of our children are
top students in school and have an interest in continuing their
education.
Do you have plans to expand?
We are preparing to have a school for handicapped chil-
dren. We have nearly completed three rooms on top of the kin-
dergarten. It will be opened in March. Every year we notice that
we have a small number of slightly handicapped children. The
families consider them normal, but they are not. With the help
22
of a Norwegian organization that covered the costs, we
decided to start this project. Ragerding expansion like building
new schools, that is very difficult because we had many losses
during the 1982 Zionist invasion and the 1985 camp war in
Beirut. First we are going to renew what we had in the past.
What happened with this kindergarten during the
1982 Israeli invasion?
The kindergarten was heavily bombed. The top floor of our
building was destroyed. We had to work in the basement . We
contacted those children who were in a very bad situation,
whose homes were destroyed, or whose fathers were in Ansar
concentration camp. We took an extra 100 children over our
capacity, because we felt it was our duty. Then the Phalangists
and Saad Haddad’s army occupied our building. We are a leg-
ally recognized institution, so we were able to reopen after a lot
of struggle. We were harassed several times by the Israeli
army and its Lebanese lackeys. Once a doctor came to check
the children, but he had to go back to his clinic to get some-
thing. He left his bag with the stethoscope in the kindergarten.
Within minutes, the kindergarten was surrounded by Israeli
tanks and troops. They wanted to know what was left in the
school. | told them what was in the bag, but they entered the
classrooms and terrorized the children and teachers. Even
foreign delegations who visited us were subjected to harass-
ment and interrogation.
What are the conditions for children in the camp?
From our work with families, we see that the Palestinian
children live a very difficult life. There are not enough schools;
families have financial difficulties because of inflation and lack
of jobs. Palestinian families are large, so the mother cannot
give enough attention to each child. Health care is not as it
should be. Skin diseases are common, and teeth are not taken
care of. We also have special cases. This month in our health
check-up of 300 children, we found eight cases of heart dis-
ease that require surgery. Such an operation costs 150,000
Lebanese pounds, and the families cannot afford this. We are
trying to contact international humanitarian organizations to
help, but until now we have not been successful. UNRWA does
some health work in the camp, but it is not enough. As a result
of the war, the psychological health of the children is not good,
and there are a number of mentally retarded children.
How did the recent budget cut in UNRWA affect
the camp?
In the past, the UNRWA services were not enough. Their
health clinic was very bad - non-professional; medicine was
not available. Then UNRWA stopped the basic financial aid it
used to give, which increased hardships for families. UNRWA
has stopped giving books and notebooks in their schools. The
number of teachers is being reduced. They closed the Sibleen
Institute for vocational training that had 500 students.
In closing, | would like to ask your readers to strengthen
their position on the just cause of the Palestinian people, to
speak out about the situation of Palestinian children, especially
in the camps, and to give us at least moral support.
The Kanafani Foundation and its kindergartens are depen-
dent on contributions. Anyone wishing more information or
wanting to give a donation, should write to: GKCF, P.O. Box
135/375, Chouran, Beirut, Lebanon. @ - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 16
- تاريخ
- مايو ١٩٨٦
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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