Partnerships

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In line with its objectives to foster communication and partnerships with other community institutions, the Centre actively works to strengthen and develop professional relationships through hosting outreach programmes and events.

The Centre helps to develop staff working at other institutions through training courses and by exchanging expertise. It also participates in partner-funded projects that aim to expand the scope of services available to as many children as possible. 

Our Summer is Nicer

The project was jointly funded with the Welfare Association and ran between15 May 2011 up to the end of August 2011, providing cultural and entertainment services for orphaned children between the ages of four and fifteen, who had lost their parents or guardians during the Israeli aggression against Gaza in 2009.

The project aimed to:

-     Provide a safe space for children to relax and enjoy themselves.

-     Encourage a love of reading among children.

-     Engage children in arts and cultural activities.

-     Strengthen children’s confidence and team spirit.

-     Strengthen the relationships between children living in different areas.

These primary aims were achieved through teaching children traditional Palestinian games, drama and performance activities, arts and crafts, open microphone shows, film screenings, open days, and swimming.

 

Traditional Palestinian Games Festival

The project was jointly funded with the Welfare Association and ran between August 2010 and the end of February 2011, in partnership with the Culture and Free Thought Association and the Palestinian Association for Development and Heritage Protection.

The project was targeted at children between the ages of four and fifteen, living in the provinces of Northern and Southern Gaza.

The project aimed to:

-      Help educate children about their Palestinian heritage, including traditional games.

-      Support the psychological and social well-being of children.

-      Provide a safe space for children to relax and enjoy themselves.

-      Develop the professional skills of those working at children’s organisations, and educate them about the importance of traditional games in a child’s development.

The project’s main activities were:

-     Providing space for reading, storytelling, traditional Palestinian games, heritage and fine arts, art exhibitions, and visits to the Qattan Centre for the Child.

-     Training courses in traditional Palestinian games for professionals working at children’s organisations.

For a Happy Childhood

The project is jointly funded with the Welfare Association, and aims to raise the quality of services provided by those working in the early childhood sector, by training them in an integrative approach to education.

The project is one of the strategic priorities supported by the Welfare Association in the field of early childhood in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, pre-1948 Occupied Palestine, and the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.

There are four organizations that have worked collectively to implement the project: The Al-Tufula Centre in Nazareth, the A. M. Qattan Foundation through the Qattan Centre for the Child in Gaza, the Early Childhood Resource Center in Jerusalem, and the Arab Resource Workshop in Beirut.

The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

1-    Develop the administrative capabilities of those working in the early childhood sector.

2-    Develop the professional abilities of principals and kindergarten teachers through specialised training in early childhood education.

3-    Create a network of kindergarten teachers to communicate and share their experiences and expertise.

4-    Develop the kindergarten infrastructure across Palestinian communities.

5-    Support and engage parents by establishing parents’ clubs.

Kan Yama Kan Project

The project ran between 15 December 2011 and 31 July 2012. It was targeted at orphans between the ages of four and eighteen, who had lost their parents or guardians during the Israeli aggression against Gaza in 2010, and children under the age of six and their mothers.

The project, which was jointly funded with Abraaj Capital through the Welfare Association, and implemented in partnership with the El Wedad Society for Community Rehabilitation, aimed to improve the lives of children by encouraging a love of reading, entertaining them, and creating a relaxed environment where they could learn a variety of everyday skills and develop a sense of self-worth, belonging, and national pride. The project also aimed at strengthening the relationships between mothers and children living in different areas of Gaza.

The project’s main activities included:

-     Heritage art shows.

-     Day trips for children under the age of six and their mothers.

-     For children aged seven to fifteen; space for reading, storytelling, arts and crafts, cultural activities, traditional Palestinian songs and games, traditional Palestinian cuisine, swimming, horseback and camel rides, trips to archeological sites and entertainment venues, and learning about traditional professions and national industries.

-     For children aged sixteen to eighteen; collecting and documenting oral history and trips to entertainment venues and archeological sites. 

Child-Friendly Zone/ Sammouni

The project was jointly funded with the Friends of Waldorf Education and ran over the following periods: 1 August 2010 – 28 February 2011,1 March 2011 –28 February 2012, and 1 March 2012 – 28 February 2013.

The project was targeted at children between the ages of four and fifteen and their parents, living in the Sammouni area, which has been the target of severe Israeli aggression. In an effort to help young people enjoy their childhood, the Centre sent a number of mobile art and entertainment activities to the area, organised and supervised by childcare experts and specialists.

Activities included:

-    Reading, storytelling, arts and crafts, and movement and dance workshops.

-    Awareness and training sessions for parents.

-    Joint parent-child activities.

Development of Family Literacy

The project’s primary aim is to strengthen the role of parents as the first teachers of their children. The project, which is jointly funded with Save the Children, is targeted at children under the age of six and their parents, in coordination with 24 kindergartens in the Gaza Strip.

The project’s main activities are:

-     Holding training courses on Family Literacy for participating kindergarten professionals.

-     Establishing parents’ clubs.

-     Setting up joint parent-child activities.

-     Holding information sessions for parents on subjects related to their child’s health and psychological well-being. 

Improving Educational Environments in Kindergartens

The project is jointly funded with Save the Children, and aims to improve the educational environment of three kindergartens in the Central Province of Gaza by:

-    Setting up a children’s library at each kindergarten.

-    Providing kindergartens with safe water to protect children from diseases caused by water pollution.

Read and Enjoy Together

The project has been running since April 2012 and will continue until December 2014. The project’s goal is to expand the cultural horizons of children between the ages of four and fifteen living in the most deprived areas of Gaza.

The project is jointly funded with Save the Children, and in cooperation with schools and community associations across Gaza.

The main activities are:

-      Book fairs, storytelling, drama workshops, and visits to the Qattan Centre for the Child.

-      Training courses for principals and kindergarten teachers on subjects related to early childhood.

-      Awareness and training sessions for parents.

-      Joint parent-child activities. 

Enhancing Outreach Services

The project was co-funded by Save the Children and ran over the following periods: 1 October 2009 – 31 March 2010, 1 April 2010 – 30 April 2010, 1 October 2010 – 30 November 2010, and 1 January 2011 – 31 March 2011.

The project aimed to widen the cultural horizons of children between the ages of four and fifteen, especially those living in the most deprived areas of Gaza.

For the project, the QCC provided Mobile Library services in coordination with a number of local foundations and schools across Gaza. The project’s main activities were:

-     Book fairs, storytelling, reading circles, arts and crafts, film screenings, open microphone shows, traditional Palestinian games, fun competitions, art exhibitions, live entertainment, and visits to the   Qattan Centre for the Child.

-       Awareness and training sessions for parents.

-      Training courses for professionals working at community-based childcare organisations.

Read and Enjoy

The project ran from June 2010 to the end of August 2010, and was funded by Save the Children. The project was targeted at children between the ages of four and fifteen, to ensure they were able to participate in the cultural and recreational activities made available by the Centre's mobile library.

Partnership for Development Project

Through its Outreach Services Programme (OSP), the QCC has been running a Partnership for Development project, jointly funded with Drosos Foundation (Switzerland), to support the Al Maghazi Community Rehabilitation Society (MCRS).

The QCC is sharing its expertise in childhood development, children’s libraries, and children’s cultural, arts, and pedagogical programmes, and is helping to develop the MCRS staff’s administrative and IT skills. The project is also helping to improve the MCRS’s library by refurbishing the interior, growing its book collection, and updating its computer systems. The project's budget amounts to $480,120 ($362,850 from Drosos Foundation and $117,270 from the A. M. Qattan Foundation).

The project goals include:

-    Doubling the library area, developing the multipurpose hall, and establishing a computer lab.

-    Providing the library with an additional 11,000 books.

-    Establishing a dedicated cultural programme beginning in the first year of the project and ending in the fourth year.

-    Recruiting five staff members on a four-year contract, and equipping them to establish and run a programme of cultural activities at the MCRS. 

Summer Games

The project ran between May –September 2007, and was jointly funded with The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), with the aim of broadening the cultural horizons of children between the ages of seven and fifteen attending UNRWA schools, especially those living in the most deprived areas of Gaza. The project’s main activities were a book fair, arts and crafts, and a variety of entertainment shows.

 

Mobile Library Bus

The project was funded in partnership with Goethe Institute and Bank of Palestine, and implemented with the cooperation of several organizations in Gaza. The project ran between June – September 2011, and between June – September 2012. It was established to give children between the ages of four and fifteen access to the cultural and recreational activities offered by the Mobile Library.

The project’s primary activities were: book fairs, storytelling, reading circles, arts and crafts, film screenings, open microphone shows, traditional Palestinian games, fun competitions, art exhibitions, and live entertainment. 

Create (Ibda'a): Mobile Library

The project has been running since November 2011 and will continue until March 2014. It is jointly funded with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and was established to provide cultural and entertainment activities to children between the ages of four and fifteen living in Gaza.