To Our Dear Supporters and Friends,
I would like to start this message by thanking all of you who have donated to support the Holy Child Program at this difficult time. Your gifts are helping HCP remain a sanctuary of healing and an example of peaceful coexistence amid the current conflict.
As you likely know, the fighting and destruction is primarily centered in the Gaza Strip. But, the repercussions of the war extend throughout the entire region. Aside from the constant fear that violence could hit any of our families and staff at any time, there are three specific things that I want to communicate in this letter to you.
First, as the war continues, our students become more unsettled. Whenever it's safe to do so, the school building is open and classes are in session. The children feel secure and centered when they are in the school building, but when the risk of local disruption increases, the local government closes schools and we switch to online learning. Online learning provides academic continuity, but any hands-on emotional support we provide for the children has to be put on hold until the school reopens.
The additional challenge is that the children often become more apprehensive and feel more insecure when they are home all day where they are more exposed to pictures and videos of the war that is happening just a hour's drive from where they live. This places an additional burden on their parents. Also, the irregularity of the students going back and forth from school learning to home learning is wearing the students down emotionally, making it more challenging to refocus them even when they are in the classroom.
Second, it is hard for us to get the supplies we need. For the first two weeks of the war, our area was cut off entirely from the surrounding region by roadblocks. Since that time some of our connections to other cities have been reopened, but a trip that would normally take an hour can now take seven hours, placing additional stress on the school to obtain the resources it needs. As the war continues, even the roads that are open now could close again, leaving us with few options.
Third, our whole school community has been shaken by the war, not just the students. As we say on our
website, "We believe that each child is part of a larger ecological system, the family, and in order to treat the child, we must collaborate with the entire family network." Many of the adults in our region work in tourism industries, or travel to Jerusalem for work. All tourism has stopped and roads to Jerusalem are blocked, leaving families without an income.
We are blessed at the Holy Child Program to have a staff that is resilient and committed to the students. Despite the personal strain the conflict has on their own families, they continue to go above and beyond for the school children. They continue the delivery of the curriculum and work closely with each child to help them move through their emotions and focus on their learning.
Your donations provide us with the ability to care for our students and our school community. We can continue to pay our teachers and staff. We can push to find the resources we need to keep our school open and our families intact. And, as the seasons of Thanksgiving and Advent approach we can find our own way of celebrating in the midst of the chaos.
I represent the entire school community in thanking you for your prayers and support. None of it would be possible without you. I will continue to keep you updated.
May God Bless you and your family.
