Doaa

Seeds of Peace Fellow, 2015

IMPACT: SOCIAL

Providing a safe creative learning space for children in the Shijaeya community in Gaza.

How has Seeds of Peace had an impact on you?

I took part in the Seeds of Peace workshop “Educational Leadership In Times of Crisis” in December 2014.

How have you impacted your community?

I am a teacher and tutor with a degree in early education and I am the Program Director of the Shujaeya Community Project in Gaza. The project was established following the 2014 Gaza war to offer support to youth, educators, and parents in one of the most devastated communities of Gaza. I am committed to helping the children of Shujaeya to recover from trauma, and to work towards creating a better future for themselves and those around them.

In my work, I reach out to and work with other educators and children in the Shujaeya neighborhood through workshops and community gatherings. I provide children the chance to express themselves, heal from trauma, and learn life and study skills, as well as cooperation and empathy. At the same time, I work with and support educators to continue this work. My vision is to create peaceful learning environments and to build a sustainable and creative learning community for the children and educators of Shujaeya.

“Seeds of Peace and the New Visions Fellowship gave me the chance to work closely with children of the Shijaeya neighborhood in Gaza to ease the very hard conditions they lived through during the 2014 conflict. Through my work with the Shijaeya Community Project, I help to create a place for them where they can feel safe, live a normal childhood, and spend good and happy times.”