05-03-2018
Organised between 2 and 18 January 2018, Rain O World featured a myriad of events that contributed to creating cultural, knowledge and intellectual spaces. Activities, courses and programmes were designed to create an enabling and supportive environment for children during the winter break.
The Child Centre - Gaza (CCG) organised a series of culture, science, IT and art activities, courses and programmes, targeting parents, children under six years of age, and young adults up to the age of 15 years. These attracted a large number of children and their parents. The CCG facilities looked like a beehive. Children moved around the CCG Library, Atelier, Science Rooms, Early Childhood Resource Hall, and Computer Lab, tapping into the CCG knowledge assets as they like.
Main daily activities included: morning sports, Hakawati (Storytelling), The Shadow of Tales, Reading Aloud, Finger Puppets, We Have Fun with Stories, Who Remembers? A Picture and A Quiz, Countries and Cultures, Role Play, Tale and Drama, Little Newton, A Scientist and An Experiment, Talk Science, Sesame and the Computer, I-LAB, Riddles Challenge, and IT competitions. Activities also involved cinema shows, cultural competitions, and Xbox games.
Children also participated in several courses, including Beautiful Handwriting, Genes, make it Yourself, Clay Sculpture, Learning the Basics of Painting, Palestinian Embroidery, Dal’onah, Tharif al-Toul, Ballet, Aerobics, Karate, and Chess. Main IT courses included Computer Maintenance, Android Apps, and 3D. In the context of the activities implemented by the CCG IT clubs, children created and produced a number of apps and webpages.
Statistics show that a total of 9,397 people visited the CCG. New subscribers totalled 617 boys and girls. Also, 7,548 books were lent by the CCG Library.
An interactive science exhibition
Farah Sha’th, a 9th grade student, found her passion in the activities organised by the CCG during the winter break. The Science Rooms captured the attention of Farah. She engaged with her peers in the Make it Yourself course. Offered by the CCG, this course allowed free, interactive science spaces for children to create, design, and produce science projects and exhibits. These were generated by the children’s own ideas, contributing to solving the problems they face in their surrounding environment and in the contexts of their day-to-day lives.
Farah came up with the idea of the Coin Sorting Machine - an example of several interactive science projects. Children participated in designing, implementing and producing this project. They showcased the machine to their peers and visitors at the Interactive Science Exhibition, organised by the CCG in conclusion of the winter break events.
The project comprises a machine, which sorts coins into different denominations, making it easier for sellers to sort coins.
About her experience, Farah said: “We shared experience, talked to one another, came up with new ideas, and made experiments together. The idea occurred to me after my brother had started a small enterprise to sell fast food to university students. He had a particular difficulty sorting coins into different denominations. I got the idea, which I developed and applied with the team. It is a sweet feeling and great joy.”
Mohammed al-Masri participated in the Humidity Sensor project at the exhibition. His mother, Dr. Reham Qaddoum, said she was pleased to see her son presenting and discussing the idea of his science project.
Dr. Reham said: “It’s a pleasant feeling. When I was at work, Mohammed called me to come and see him “explaining’. It’s not easy to occupy a child’s leisure time with something useful and interesting. Information is presented to children by means of experimentation and observation so that it sticks to their minds. This is what the CCG does.”
Performances
In a spectacular scene of joy and hope, the CCG stage was set for distinguished performances by children, who had taken part in the CCG courses. Performances were drawing a significant interaction and encouragement by children’s parents and the audience. Performances reflected children’s enthusiasm and investment of their winter break. They celebrated the conclusion of the Dal’onah, Tharif al-Toul, Ballet, and Karate courses. Children of the Tales Clubhouse presented a lyrical performance of the folklore tale The Boisterous Rooster. Children of the CCG Performing Arts Club made the popular Dabke performance in participation with children of the Dal’onah course. In addition, children of the Qattan Choir performed the songs Zourouni Kulli Sanah Marrah [Visit Me Once a Year] and Lamma Bada Yatathanna [When I Saw it Sway].
Literary encounters
In the context of the Literature Clubhouse activities, the CCG organised a literary encounter, which brought together children of the Literature Clubhouse with Dr. Sonia Nimer, Palestinian writer, storyteller and Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at Birzeit University. The encounter was held via Skype.
The encounter gave children the chance to discuss with Nimer and learn from her experience in the field of literature. Discussions revolved mainly around her novel Thunder Bird.
Rawan Na’im, a 14-year-old girl, said: “Novels have been more beautiful after this encounter. It was a valuable and wonderful meeting. I was more interested when I realised that the writer would publish a second and third parts of the novel. She is a splendid and capable writer.”
Children of the English Language Club participated in another literary encounter with Lebanese-American writer Adam Hamze. In an interactive dialogue held via Skype, children discussed Hamze’s experience in the field of poetry and creative writing. The conversation highlighted the question of Palestine, the issue of refugees, and other cultural matters. Hamze read his poem My Mother Can’t Look at Me Without Crying.
Muhannad Aabed, a child, said: “A rich and interesting encounter. I have been learned from his experience. I am working on improving my English, especially in the field of literature.”
Outreach activities
Through the Child Friendly Spaces project, Rain O World activities reached out beyond the CCG premises to children across Gaza governorates. During their participation in the winter break event Rain O World (2-18 January 2018), children enjoyed a variety of interesting activities, including free reading, reading stories, shadow theatre, art activities, and handicrafts, such as painting on stones, clay modelling, crepe tissue paper, wool, making toys, physical and rhythmic activities, and thinking games.
A total of 595 children aged 7 to 15 years benefited from these activities.
Throughout the winter break, the CCG also organised a series of culture, art and recreation activities for children across Gaza governorates. These were delivered through the Mobile Library Bus, a project co-funded by the Bank of Palestine. Activities were implemented in collaboration with six local childhood institutions in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun, Gaza, Al-Bureij, and Khan Yunis.
Additionally, the CCG launched the third phase of the Non-curricular Activities for Children of the Wajd Project. Activities of the winter camp involved a wide variety of culture, art and recreation activities, including storytelling, artefacts, handicrafts, and popular and physical games. Major activities of the winter camp also featured creative writing, plastic arts, computer, IT, chess, theatre, choir, Dabke, football, Kung Fu, karate, table tennis, circus, and juggling.
The CCG will launch a new package of art and culture activities and courses in February 2018.