Palestine has one of the highest rates of mental health problems and psychological disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with 47% of its girls (aged 6-12) suffering from emotional and/or behavioural disorders, the result of a protracted war and a society that denies them opportunities simply because they are female, a situation greatly exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19.
In this context, 194 girls from the most vulnerable Arab and Christian families in East Jerusalem have received non-clinical psychosocial support through the creation of a protective environment for children with supportive interaction in the classroom, provision of creative and life-skills after-school activities and individual assistance/counselling in more problematic cases.
In the framework of the intervention, a psychosocial programme was implemented with the participation of teachers with expertise in arts, dance and music. The activities funded by Mondo Unito contributed to enriching not only the quality of the learning environment by ensuring the provision of didactic tools and resources essential for the girls’ psychological well-being, but also gave them a space in which to feel safe and free to play and be themselves, promoting their resilience and fostering healthy cross-cultural relationships.
As part of the internal evaluation carried out, 100% of the students and their mothers rated the impact of these activities on their daily lives as very positive. ‘Now I feel more valued’, “my self-esteem has improved” or “I feel more integrated at school” were among the most common answers obtained when the girls were asked.
Thanks to interventions such as these at the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the foundations are created so that the most fragile girls, some of whom come from broken homes, can fulfil themselves as people and as women, guaranteeing a dignified future for them and opening up new generations to a dialogue that focuses on the individual, beyond culture or religion.