Gaza: Found alone at check point
Who: SOS Children’s Villages Gaza
What: Support to the children in Gaza
The number of children who have lost one or both parents is estimated at 24,000 to 25,000, according to a report by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. Up to 55 children will be cared for in the SOS Children’s Villages Rafah.
A psychologist from SOS Children’s villages Rafah shares the story of a three-year-old girl found at a check point and who is one of the children taken in by SOS Children’s Village Rafah, in collaboration with a partner agency.
“One of the children we have taken in is a three-year-old girl who was found alone at a check point in Gaza. She suffers from severe psychological trauma resulting in what’s known as ‘selective mutism’ in addition to anxiety and fear as a result of what she was exposed to.”
The girl also received medical attention at a local hospital to treat some wounds.
Despite her psychological state, the girl started within days to interact with her caregiver and the other children in the household. She began sharing toys with them and going out to the yard to play.
“She now feels safer and is more able to cope with the traumatic event that she went through.
“We continue to provide specialised psychological assistance to help her according to her specific individual needs”, the psychologist explaines.
SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah supports people in many ways, including providing shelter to unaccompanied children, emergency cash support and mental health services for internally displaced families who are programme participants.
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