John,
“I’m very optimistic [that Gaza will recover]. Day by day, life will improve. I always say that Gazans love life, and wherever they are, they create life out of nothing.”
This giving season, we’re uplifted by the hopeful words of Zain*, our team member in Gaza, about what the future holds for Gaza’s more than 2 million people. The pause in hostilities is fragile, but it continues to offer a hopeful step toward recovery and rebuilding.
So today, we want to share with you something that matches this hopeful spirit: powerful artwork created by children at a child-friendly space in Gaza. Art therapy is part of Save the Children’s program providing psychological support to more than 73,000 children affected by the two-year long war.
These drawings represent children's lived experiences in Gaza, portraying both their aspirations and their daily realities. They show what children in Gaza wish for — things all children have the right to, but which these children are denied: plates of food, an education, safety and a future.
We hope these images and stories inspire you today — and serve as a reminder of the impact you make as a .
You can view more art and read how we’re supporting children from Gaza on our website >>
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A peaceful scene drawn by a young girl depicts a yearning for the safety and security of home.
Hundreds of thousands of children have been displaced during the war, often multiple times. At Save the Children’s child-friendly spaces, kids play and create as ways to cope with what they’re witnessing during the war and express their dreams for the future.
Drawing is a core component of our psychosocial support as it helps children process and express emotions they cannot yet verbalize, supporting emotional regulation, self-expression and cognitive processing of traumatic experiences.
Several of the children produced art illustrating the relentless bombardment they’ve lived through in Gaza, with sketches showing missiles destroying homes, warplanes flying above playgrounds and neighborhoods and life in displacement.
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The destruction of a building and playground drawn by a child in Gaza depicts the horrors that so many children have witnessed during this war.
Art can also strengthen a sense of control and resilience for children, allowing them to transform traumatic or stressful memories into symbolic forms they can understand and discuss at their own pace.
And since most of the activities happen in group settings, our child-friendly spaces foster peer connection and social support – helping children see that others share similar emotions, which promotes healing and belonging.
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A drawing by a girl in Gaza reflects her dreams of a future working in fashion.
The child-friendly spaces where these drawings were made are just one example of the ways we’re supporting children through this devastating war.
Currently, we’re running two primary healthcare centers in Gaza that provide essential services to children, mothers and families, mother and baby areas with support for infant and young child feeding and child-friendly spaces with psychosocial care.
We’ve also set up temporary learning spaces to help children who are unable to enroll in formal education. And we’re ready to scale-up lifesaving aid alongside our partners as the ceasefire holds and aid access is expanded.
View more art from children in Gaza and see how we’re helping them survive, recover and rebuild in the wake of this devastating war.
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Thanks to your compassion and support, children in Gaza are finding hope and healing— even in the most difficult circumstances.
Thank you,
The Save the Children team
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