Launch of a new Project to Support Access to Safe Education in the West Bank
Jerusalem, 24 September 2024,
World Vision International and the Teacher Creativity Centre have launched the project "Safe Access to Inclusive, Dignified Education and Protection Services for Children in Crises”, with financial support from the European Union.
The 24-month project aims to improve access to safe education and life-saving protection services. Funded by the European Union with approximately €2.7 million, the initiative will be implemented in educational facilities and communities across the West Bank
The project will benefit approximately 17,600 children affected by violence in 61 schools across 10 governorates: Hebron, Jenin, Jericho, Jerusalem, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarem, and Tubas. In addition, nearly 1,200 teachers, supervisors, and counsellors, along with 48 community volunteers and 4,000 parents and caregivers, will receive capacity-building training on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) theory and skills. The project will also refer children at risk to specialized child-protection services supporting the existing reporting and referral system.
The project will support 5,000 children through community-based, face-to-face, catch-up classes designed to help recover from the learning losses experienced over the past year.
World Vision International will assess the preparedness of the 61 targeted schools to respond to emergencies and incidents of violence, reviewing existing safety protocols to enhance child protection during hazardous situations. Safety plans will be developed collaboratively with students, teachers, community members, and parents. Each school will also receive preparedness kits tailored to the recommendations of its safety plan and specific needs. 30 schools will be prioritized and targeted for rehabilitation interventions, ensuring protective and safe educational environment.
Children in the West Bank are currently facing an unprecedented education crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, followed by a year-long teacher strike in 2022, severely disrupted their education. Since October 2023, escalating violence, movement restrictions, and economic challenges have further prevented many children from attending school, resulting in significant delays in their learning and academic progress. These challenges, compounded by concerns for their future and personal safety, have led to elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and trauma, further affecting their ability to learn.
Notes to editor
About the European Union
The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
About World Vision International Jerusalem – West Bank – Gaza (WV JWG)
World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. The organisation started to work in the West Bank and Gaza in 1975.
Since then, World Vision JWG has developed one of the largest community-based presence of any organisation operating in the West Bank with 91 dedicated staff and a total annual budget of $11 million USD. In 2023, our programming on education, early childhood development, child protection and child resilience benefited directly more than 136,000 people, including 95,000 children in 150 villages in the West Bank. In 2024, our emergency response reached 233,000 people across 250 villages of the West Bank.
About Teacher Creativity Centre
The Teacher Creativity Center (TCC) is a Palestinian non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, registered since 1995. It was founded by a group of primary and secondary school teachers from public, private, and UNRWA schools. TCC’s primary objective is to promote socially responsible education within the occupied Palestinian territory.
TCC has become a leading organization in the West Bank and Gaza for providing Psychosocial Support (PSS) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions. Its innovative approach integrates technology, particularly through a platform called e-forum, to enhance these interventions.
The main office is located in Ramallah, West Bank, with a branch office in Gaza City. TCC focuses its operations in areas where education and SEL interventions are most needed. It receives funding from several donors, including HI, UNESCO, the Global Education Fund, and others, all with an emphasis on education and protection.