In each Newsletter we hope you will meet one of the children supported by an organisation which receives financial help from the donations you make to the MET.  This time Najwa (Jeel Al Amal School in Bethany) introduces us to Khader

When I was asked to write about one of the children at Jeel for the quarterly newsletter of the McCabe Educational Trust, I sat for a while and pondered.  Whose story should I tell?  What success should I write about?

All the children that are admitted to Jeel al Amal are abandoned or orphaned, so come from rejection and poverty.  Some realities are more difficult than others, but all share the harsh reality of being psychologically traumatized.  This is the challenge we face working with the children.

Thanks to the dedicated staff and homely atmosphere, we see change in the core being of the children.  Though change takes time and effort, small things which may look minor in the eyes of many, mean a lot to us.

One of the examples I could give is for a child to start making a drawing with lovely colours with the names of some of the staff.  Others with a “we love you” gesture, or as simple as a beautiful smile on the face.  They grow up to be peaceful and tolerant and follow a loving role model.  They feel that for the first time in their lives they are loved and cared for and we witness change on a daily basis.

We do work with the children on the psychological level and provide shelter before we ask them to sit in the classroom and thrive academically.  It is very important that they feel safe, loved and cared for.  This is the success we see in each and every soul of those lovely children.

Finally, I decided to write about Khader, who is now 14 years old.  When he was first admitted to Jeel al Amal he was only five and immediately joined the Nursery.  Khader was disturbed and was undergoing psychological trauma because of his harsh social background.  He was socially neglected and traumatized.  Because of that he was difficult to handle, which is perfectly logical under the circumstances.

Khader had difficulty as he grew up in reading and writing, even in joining the classroom.  The reason I am writing about him today is that he made it to elementary school succeeding in all subjects!  He made huge efforts and with the help and encouragement of the supervisors and house mothers he was determined to read and write and improve.  At the end of this academic school year, much to our lovely surprise, he came very proudly holding his certificate, not only succeeding in all subjects but amongst the best in his class. He was honoured with a gift of story books and some stationary.

We are so proud of him.  Khader has come a long way.