Psychosocial Help for Traumatized Children is Urgent Priority for World Vision in Gaza

Jerusalem, Israel, February 07, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Emergency psychosocial interventions are beginning this week in Gaza, supported by World Vision, to help children begin recovering from the emotional trauma resulting from their exposure to violence, death and loss during the recent military incursion there.

Improving children's psychological well-being and ability to cope with trauma following conflict or disasters is a priority of emergency relief responses by World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian organization.

"As a child-focused agency, we are deeply concerned about the lasting impact this violence is having on children, who make up half of Gaza’s population and who have just endured highly traumatic events," said World Vision Jerusalem’s National Director, Charles Clayton. "Both Palestinian and Israeli children suffer from the conflict, and addressing their needs requires psychosocial support."

The projects will reach 1,200 young children in the north and 1,000 in the south of Gaza by providing places where they can engage in normal activities in order to get them out of the painful reality of the war and the damage to their homes and families’ livelihoods. The programs provide a safe environment with counselors trained to help children handle psychological and emotional problems. Recreational activities such as puppet shows and games involve the children directly, while their mothers participate in workshops on how to best protect and reassure them.

Even before the latest conflict, children in Gaza faced high levels of recurrent nightmares and anxiety-induced bedwetting linked to prolonged exposure to violence and fear. A June 2008 study by World Vision revealed alarming rates of trauma symptoms among children ages 5 to 15 in North Gaza, with more than 16 percent of those surveyed suffering from nightmares.

Local World Vision staff supporting existing psychosocial programs report the numbers of children showing symptoms of trauma increased dramatically during the incursion.

Meanwhile, World Vision staff in Gaza continue to distributed emergency food parcels to thousands of vulnerable families to meet their immediate material needs. More than 1,000 struggling households have been supplied with a month’s worth of food staples, and a shipment of 5,000 blankets is scheduled for the weekend. World Vision aims to reach more than 100,000 people with relief and early recovery assistance in coming months, including emergency job creation and rehabilitation of agricultural land and greenhouses.

The Christian humanitarian organization has been working in the Holy Land since 1975 serving the poor, especially children. World Vision operates two development programs in Gaza, cooperating with local communities in sustainable agriculture and other areas of need to foster independence from relief aid and improve standards of living in all sectors. The agency has long warned that both Israeli and Palestinian children suffer emotionally and psychologically because of violence or the threat of violence.
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World Vision staff are available for interviews. Please contact Rachel Wolff at 253.815.2072 or RWolff@worldvision.org; or Casey Calamusa at 206.310.5476 or CCalamus@worldvision.org.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

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