Hope and Play
Phonetic Planet recently had the chance to learn a little about the work of Hope And Play from Saskia Marsh, who is one of its trustees and a former UN official who was based in Gaza between 2006-2009.
Saskia, let’s begin at the beginning, as they say! I myself had never actually heard of the Hope And Play organization until I came upon it through the work of a Palestinian artist Majed Shala. Can you please explain to us how and when it was founded?
Our organization was founded in 2008, Susan. It is a UK registered charity (no. 1125609) and holds as its main goal the possibility of hope for the future, as well as a safe and welcoming space for play and recreation, into the lives of Palestinian children. These children are currently living in compromised circumstances marked by poverty, violence, and conflict. Hope and Play has built children’s libraries and playgrounds, has provided educational laptops to schools and has also supported community centres working with special needs children in Gaza, West Bank and also Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Actually, the flagship trauma programme of Hope and Play in Gaza has provided thousands of traumatised children with psychosocial and educational support. Another aspect of our work in this area has been to empower parents on how to lessen the effects of cumulative trauma.
Our long-term partner in Gaza, the Canaan Institute, is a key supporter in Gaza’s civil society network. To put this in perspective, it’s important to know that most of the youth workers in Gaza have been trained by the Canaan Institute. Canaan’s values are embodied by its Director, Issa Saaba, who has tirelessly advocated for the rights – but also the responsibilities – of Gaza’s youth for the past 30 years. Issa also serves as a trustee on the board of our organization.
The Canaan Institute is responsible for putting ideas into motion in Gaza while my work as a trustee of Hope and Play is to retain oversight of all activities, to maintain compliance with UK Charity Commission regulations and to offer support in the area of fundraising. Trustees cover all administrative costs of Hope and Play and we work on a voluntary basis. It would be beneficial for your readers to know that all donations received (minus transaction costs) go directly into our activities and programmes.
What is a typical day like for a child in Gaza at the moment, Saskia?
Even before this current war, profound trauma is a fact of life for Gaza’s children. To offer some statistics on this, consider that two of every three children in Gaza display symptoms of psychological trauma, while one in four drop out of education by secondary school level (approximately age twelve years). Hope and Play has delivered psychosocial and educational support to thousands of traumatised children through the Canaan Institute’s network of local youth centres. We usually raise funds to work with at least 600 of the most vulnerable children in one go; the more funds we raise, the more children can participate.
Everyone, regardless of age, is deeply traumatised by the ongoing conflict and is likely to suffer the aftereffects for years to come. This is the reality of war. In response to this disturbing situation, our emergency activities in Gaza over the past year have focused on two aims. Firstly, we are attempting to keep children and their families alive by means of providing food and water, by trying to address basic sanitation problems in order to limit the impact of epidemics and disease, and also by providing emergency funds for urgent medical and other vital supplies for families in dire need.
Our second goal is to remind children and their parents - through providing opportunities for play and providing other artistic, creative and therapeutic activities - that there is something to live for, beyond the death and destruction that surrounds them daily.
Just how important is it for children to experience play and recreation during a time of significant stress?
Since March 2024 we have been supporting around 10,000 people a month! Alongside the Canaan Institute, we have partnered with a group of artists associated with Gaza's Shababeek Centre for Contemporary Art to run these activities. At this point I’d like to share some relevant links so that people can take a look at some of our initiatives, and be reminded of the positive impact that play therapy and artistic expression can bring to children of all ages. Any donation, large or small, will be gratefully received. You can donate and sign up to our newsletter here.
We also post regular updates to our Facebook and Instagram pages.
We are so very grateful to Saskia for discussing the work of Hope and Play organization, as well as for granting us permission to use these photos, all of which are the property of the organization itself.
