The child protection teams help a family of 12 in the North governorate

North governorate, Publication and Information Unit:

The child protection teams project at the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution helped a poor Palestinian family in the Beit Lahia area north of the Gaza Strip, within the project's emergency visits programme and with the participation of the adviser to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Middle East, Mio Nemoto.

On the family's tragic situation, the coordinator of the child protection teams in the North governorate, Rabie Hamouda, said that the project, in coordination with one of the partner associations in the North, visited the family of the child Malak Salman in the Beit Lahia project and was shocked by their difficult circumstances. He added: "The family consists of 12 members, the father suffers from chronic illnesses, the eldest son is 17 years old, and none of the family members hold identity documents such as an ID card or a title deed."

Hamouda explained that the child protection teams obtained birth certificates and identity cards for the family and coordinated with the Ministry of Social Affairs to address the case of the family of the child Salem and to enrol the children in a number of schools. He noted that during the last visit a set of winter clothes for the children, gifts and some food items were distributed, in addition to covering the roof of the house with plastic sheeting because of water leaking onto the family when it rains.

For his part, the adviser Nemoto called for providing the family with the necessary support and assistance and for providing psychological and social support to the father, the mother and a number of the children affected by the family's difficult situation. He offered advice to the family's breadwinner and his wife on the need to care for their children and to give them the opportunity to continue their education.

It is noted that the child protection teams project carries out a set of activities and events for children, supporting them in expressing their views and taking an effective part in society, as well as providing every form of psychological and social support within the community.