Conflict Resolution Center begins holding a series of festivals

The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution has begun holding a series of "You really are wonderful" festivals, which target the pupils of the project "Reducing the risk of illiteracy among children in the Gaza Strip", carried out by the Centre with funding from the European Union. The festival's events were held at the Jabalia Services Club in the north of the Gaza Strip, attended by Mr. Iyad Abu Hjair, director of the Gaza branch, Mrs. Judith, representative of the European Union, and Mr. Abdel Moneim Al-Tahrawi, the Centre's projects coordinator. Around 300 pupils and 200 parents took part in the festival, in addition to the partner organisations in the field. The festival included many recreational items and activities such as puppet dance shows, popular dabke and educational plays, with the aim of entertaining the children and drawing joy on their faces. In an address on behalf of the parents, Mrs. Rasmiya Al-Zaanin gave a speech of thanks and appreciation to the Palestinian Center for its support and its efforts to help improve the level of low-attaining children, confirming that the parents express their happiness and their deep thanks to the Centre and to those running this project. The pupil Saeed Juneid also gave an address on behalf of the children explaining how happy they are and how much they have benefited from this programme and how it has helped them improve their level of academic attainment. For his part, Mr. Abdel Moneim Al-Tahrawi, the Centre's projects coordinator, confirmed that this celebration comes within a series of celebrations honouring the participating pupils and in appreciation of the effort made in developing and improving their academic level, where the rate of improvement among the pupils taking part in this programme reached 19% compared with the previous term. Continuing the series of festivals held within this project, the Palestinian Center held several festivals in the Middle governorate and Khan Younis governorate, in which more than 500 children and around 370 parents took part, in addition to the partner organisations. Another festival was also held in the Al-Tartouri hall in Gaza governorate, in which more than 150 boys and girls and more than 150 parents took part. This festival included several performance items presented by the participating children, in addition to an item about the World Cup, on which the child Heba Abu Hasira commented, saying: "I wish that, just as football has united the world, we too could be united in Palestine." At the end of the festivals the pupils were honoured and certificates and prizes were distributed to them, in addition to certificates of appreciation being distributed to the heads of the associations and to the outstanding children.