It’s the worst at night. The stillness shattered by blaring sirens. The confusion, the shouting, the heart-pounding scramble for cover. Then huddling together in the darkness, breathing hard, praying, sobbing, bracing for the explosion.
Then going back to bed and trying to sleep. Or going to bed the next night. And the night after that. Not knowing when the next missile attack will come. But knowing that it will come.
In Israel, innocent children are often the youngest victims of terrorism.
They see their parents’ faces tight with worry. They hear the news reports. They attend the funerals. They pass the damaged homes and buildings and step over the rubble on their way to school. Not long ago an elementary school in Lod, Israel, was evacuated following a missile strike and the children stood outside on the playground and watched with horror as their classroom burned to the ground.
Imagine what living under the constant shadow of death and destruction must do to these children.
Recently, Nicole Yoder, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s Vice President for Aid and Aliyah, visited several grade schools in Lod, a city in central Israel where the situation is nearly as complicated as it is in Jerusalem due to its mixed Jewish and Arab population.
As Nicole spoke with the administrators, teachers, school psychologists, and several of the children, she learned more about the acute trauma that so many of these kids are experiencing.
Tragically, it has become clear that the trauma and PTSD that inevitably result can sometimes last a lifetime. If these children do not receive the help they need, it can lead to many serious problems in their lives—and in the most severe cases, even to suicide.
One teacher told Nicole about a very young child who drew the Palestinian flag following a violent incident in the community and instigated a quasi-protest in the teacher’s room. When other children told him to stop, he lashed out and tried to stab them with a pair of scissors.
Another child’s performance suddenly spiraled downward when a family member was brutally attacked. Although the child’s parents are well-educated and capable of caring for the child, this incident severely hindered their ability to function and the entire family structure began to disintegrate.
“We see children who need help, and if they do not get it, you will see the results in the community, like suicide, drugs, crime, etc. We must deal with the troubles at the root.”
Sabrin, Grade School Counselor
All of the educators Nicole met thanked her for the support the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) has been providing for these at-risk children through a special project called Havens of Calm.
Through this program, which is beginning to be implemented in schools in the city of Lod, a peaceful space is created—a “haven of calm”—where counselors can engage the children and healing can take place within the school framework.
These bright, colorful rooms provide a creative and peaceful place where both Jewish and Arab children can receive social mobility through therapy and where school counselors and psychologists can provide emotional diagnosis, treatment, and group work with the children, as well as extending support and advice to parents.
“This is almost the only opportunity for the children here to get help. They are so underprivileged. They need to get help at school to return them to a good development path because they likely will not receive it anywhere else.”
Diana, School Psychologist
The violence that rocked the city of Lod in recent years has compounded the already existing social problems that many of the children suffer from, such as parental neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and crime.
Havens of Calm can impact the immediate issues that these children are dealing with by giving them the tools and coping skills they need to deal with tremendously complex situations and preparing them to apply these coping mechanisms to their life as they grow into adulthood.
“We are trying to prevent PTSD from developing.”
Hadas, Director of Psychological Care
The ICEJ needs your help to make a difference in Israel by providing these children with much needed counseling and therapy. We need your support to reach every school and child affected. Please stand with us and let these families know that they are not alone.
BRING HOPE AND HEALING TO CHILDREN >>
The children of Israel urgently need our help today. We can’t count on things getting better in this part of the world any time soon, so we must support these kids in the midst of their most difficult challenges.
Thankfully, there is something we can do to turn on a light in this darkness. Your generous donation today will give the youngest victims of terrorism the hope of a brighter future.
https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=6013
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