Women and children are often left vulnerable in times of crisis and when families lose their breadwinners, the lack of skills and experience dramatically limits the ability to survive alone.
In 2013, Gift of the Givers launched a project designed to support women and children in Gaza. A six-storey centre, known as the Women and Childcare Centre, was constructed and included, among other facilities, a kindergarten and a junior primary school through to Grade 3.
The building was constructed on a 1 000 square metre site and comprised:
Ground Floor - classrooms for the kindergarten;
First Floor - extracurricular classrooms for computer and arts skills training, as well as games;
Second Floor - training halls for the support of women, psychosocial support programmes and social development;
Third Floor - multi-purpose halls for students and graduates and used for hosting seminars and workshops;
FourthFloor - permanent headquarters of the Sawaed Association for Relief and Development, in addition to the Women and Childcare Centre's own staff;
Fifth Floor - shelter during emergency periods, in addition to the ongoing sheltering orphans. Included on this floor was a prayer room;
Sixth Floor - cafeteria and feeding centre for the training of mothers and housewives;
The kindergarten idea was based on extracurricular education and exploration using the world-wide Montessori method and Malaysian techniques. The kindergarten is characterised by the existence of a range of services and modern teaching aids, including a computer lab, library, indoor and outdoor play areas and spacious and comfortable classrooms, as well as dining halls.
Gift of the Givers supports orphans by offering comprehensive care, psychological and moral support, vocational, practical and scientific training in an effort to meet their needs and the needs of the local market.
