Helping a child survivor in Gaza return to learning

Shadi is a 12-year-old boy from Deir al-Balah, Gaza. In January 2024, an Israeli airstrike hit his home, killing his mother, grandmother, aunts and other family members, while critically injuring his father. Shadi sustained injuries affecting his eyesight and speech.

At a displacement site in Deir al Balah, Shadi struggled to cope with the trauma he had experienced. His family noticed he had become quiet, withdrawn, fearful and distressed. He stopped attending learning activities and instead began working on an animal-drawn cart transporting goods to help provide for his family. Following his mother’s death and his father’s injury, Shadi had taken on the burden of helping meet his family’s basic needs, assuming responsibilities far beyond his years.

Concerned about her brother, Shadi’s sister sought help from a specialized support team. After assessing the family’s situation, the team developed a tailored plan for all of them. 

That team is part of a broader protection project funded by the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund, in partnership with DanChurchAid and MA’AN Development Center as the local implementing partner. The project helps more than 15,000 people in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah access community-based counselling, psychosocial support, and referrals.

Shadi received individual counselling and psychosocial support, which helped him express his fears, manage distress and gradually become more comfortable interacting with others. The team referred him for speech therapy, support for his visual impairment, and learning opportunities that helped restore some of the routine he had lost. 

Following his mother’s death and his father’s injury, Shadi had taken on the responsibility of helping provide for his family, working instead of attending school. To help ease the financial pressures that had disrupted his education, the team also connected his family with organizations providing food assistance and health care.

Over time, Shadi became more comfortable attending psychosocial counselling sessionsessions. He began looking forward to the activities and the support he received from the team. With continued support and case management for him and his family, Shadi was also able to return to school. “I feel very comfortable,” Shadi said after some time. “I wait for the sessions every day.” His sister added: “We’ve learned things we didn’t know before. The help we received has changed both of us.”

Available estimates indicate that tens of thousands of children across Gaza have been injured over the past three years, with thousands now living with life-changing injuries. UNICEF estimates indicate that tens of thousands had lost one or more of their parents, and that in the 2024-2025 academic year, about 60 per cent of school-age children in Gaza had no access to in-person learning.

For children like Shadi, protection services from humanitarian organizations cannot erase the loss and hardship they have experienced. But timely case management, psychosocial support and referrals can help reduce risks, 

restore a sense of safety and stability through familiar routines, and support children in returning to learning and other activities that are part of childhood.

* Name has been changed to protect the child’s safety and privacy.