Gaza

Gazan alumni have been very active in a variety of volunteer activities including helping displaced flood victims in the village of Um Al Nasser, participating in a film about Gazan Youth and working with orphans at the Al Amal Institute.

Mustafa Zimmo `05 enjoys playing with the children at the Al Amal Center in Gaza.

There has been an ongoing sewage problem in the small rural area of Um Al Nasser, a village located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. All of the sewage water of the Northern Gaza Strip gathers in big ponds that surround the village; during April one of the ponds flooded the village and caused major damage to the infrastructure. Several people died and many were injured as a result. YES alumni stepped in to help in the process of relocating families who had lost their homes. Yafa al Mozaien `06, Juliet Al Tork `06, Nour Abu Hamda `07, Abdelrahman Meqdad `05, Khalel Alwazir Abu Samhdana `05, Mohammed Al Alem `05, Khaled Shaat `06, Nidal Al Kafarna `06 and Mustafa Zimmo `06 all volunteered to set up temporary shelter in the form of tents for the families whose homes were flooded. “The people welcomed us very warmly and we felt that our help was really appreciated by them. For me it was extremely distressing to watch a small child searching for his family,” Yafa Al Mozaien `06 says, “I was glad I was there to help reunite the family.”

An independent film crew recently traveled to Gaza to produce a documentary about the struggles facing Gazan youth. The film will follow a day-in-the-life-of an average Gazan teen. The film will also discuss the difficulties and hardships that most Gazan youth encounter when they decide to travel abroad for education. The alumni aided the crew in a variety of ways. Yafa Al Muzayen `06, chose to work with the lighting technician and Nidal Al Kafarna `06 decided to assist the camera man. “This is a very exciting idea and a great step forward for the YES Alumni,” Mariam Ashour `06, said as she was interviewed by the director in her house.” Khalil Alwazir `05 noted, “This film will bring fame to the YES alumni in Gaza.” Juliet Al Tork `06, Abdelrahman Meqdad `05, Mohammed Al Alem `05, Khaled Shaat `06, Samer El Hewaihi `06, and Mazin Issa `05 also participated.

Al Amal Institute, a house for orphaned children located in Gaza City, is where Abdelrahman Meqdad `05, Mohammed Al Alem `05, Khaled Shaat `06 and Mustafa Zimmo `06 volunteered for over a month in July. The group learned what life is like for the children and in turn, they shared their experiences as YES students during their time in the United States. As part of their volunteer activities they played soccer, basketball, and table tennis with the children. They also took the children on an outing to a local library to read and discuss books. “This has really taught me how lucky I am to have a family and how many children are less fortunate than I,” Mustafa said. “I saw appreciation and persistence in the children’s eyes and I have never seen a more determined group of children in my life,” Khaled remarked as he played soccer with the group.