Basira Initiative

PROJECT

Project Participants

Project Story

  • Children displaced from Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps are growing up in conditions marked by uncertainty, fear, and disruption. Uprooted from their homes and routines, many carry the emotional weight of trauma and anxiety.

    While access to shelter and basic needs is critical, these children also lack safe spaces where they can feel secure, express themselves, and rebuild a sense of normalcy. Without this support, their emotional well-being, confidence, and ability to learn can be deeply affected.

  • The Basira Initiative creates safe, supportive environments for children aged 7–15 to heal, learn, and grow.

    The program combines psychosocial support, interactive education, and creative activities to help children process their experiences and regain confidence. Through storytelling, reading and writing programs, and hands-on learning, children are encouraged to express themselves and think critically.

    Basira also builds a wider support system by engaging university student volunteers and developing simple educational guides to enhance learning. In addition, the initiative extends to families by empowering mothers with educational support, helping reinforce a nurturing environment at home.

    To amplify children’s voices, the project documents their stories and shares them through digital platforms and a short documentary ensuring their experiences are seen and heard.

  • For children who have experienced displacement, healing goes beyond meeting physical needs; it requires restoring a sense of safety, voice, and belonging.

    Basira helps children rebuild confidence, strengthen resilience, and reconnect with their ability to learn and dream. By supporting both children and their families, the initiative creates a lasting circle of care that extends beyond the classroom.

    At its heart, Basira is about giving children something they urgently need: not just support for today, but hope for what comes next.

Project Updates

April 10th Update

The team has made significant progress in advancing the Basira Initiative. We were selected as the top team at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie to implement this initiative. Following this achievement, we immediately transitioned into the planning and execution phase, developing a clear vision and a structured action plan aimed at creating a meaningful and sustainable impact within the community.

As part of our implementation efforts, the team conducted a series of field visits to local institutions and key stakeholders to strengthen community engagement and build a solid support network. These efforts resulted in the establishment of multiple partnerships with both official and community-based entities, including the Palestinian Red Crescent Society – Tulkarm Branch, Shweika Sports and Cultural Club, the Popular Committees of Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, in addition to mental health specialists, educators, and trainers. These collaborations play a crucial role in supporting the initiative and reinforcing its mission to create safe and supportive spaces for children.

In parallel, the team worked on identifying and reaching the target group, successfully collecting data for approximately 700 displaced children from the camps. This step was essential in ensuring that the initiative is responsive to real needs on the ground. The official launch of the Basira Initiative was successfully carried out, with an attendance of around 80–100 participants, including community leaders, institutional representatives, journalists, and local media outlets, reflecting strong community interest and support.

Additionally, the initiative has been actively promoted across various social media platforms, significantly increasing its visibility and outreach. We also engaged more than 100 volunteers from the university and initiated a structured selection process to ensure the formation of a capable and committed team. Our goal in recruiting volunteers is not only to support implementation, but also to strengthen the presence of university youth in community initiatives, and to enhance the quality of impact by integrating their diverse academic backgrounds and skills into the activities.

Furthermore, the team has developed well-designed activity content tailored for children, focusing on psychological support, emotional expression, and interactive learning experiences. In this context, we also produced the Basira Booklet and the Basira Guide, which serve as structured tools to support the implementation of activities. The booklet is designed for children and includes engaging, age-appropriate content that encourages expression, participation, and learning.

A preliminary implementation framework has also been established to ensure organized execution, continuity, and the achievement of maximum impact throughout the initiative

April 17th Update

During the past period, we implemented a wide range of diverse activities as part of the Basira Initiative, organizing more than 10 events that directly targeted children, with approximately 120 children reached so far.

Through our work, we are actively applying the concept of the Ripple Effect, where every child we support becomes a source of positive change within their own environment. By reaching children directly, we are not only impacting them individually, but also encouraging them to influence others around them.

Our activities covered multiple areas, most notably psychosocial support sessions, We observed a clear improvement in their engagement and ability to express their emotions. In addition, we conducted interactive and recreational activities that helped break formal barriers from the very beginning, creating a safe and welcoming environment that enabled children to quickly integrate and feel comfortable.

One of the most noticeable outcomes was the high level of interaction among children, as they openly shared their ideas and feelings. We also witnessed strong cooperation and a sense of belonging between the children and volunteers. The positive attitude, friendliness, and constant smiles of the volunteers played a key role in creating this safe and supportive space.

We also organized story-reading sessions, which contributed to expanding children’s imagination and encouraging them to express their thoughts. Furthermore, we worked on individual cases, including two children who were experiencing severe fear of social interaction and low self-confidence. Through targeted engagement, we observed a remarkable transformation, as they later became more involved, actively participated, and even initiated ideas and activities themselves.

Our approach aligns with the idea that each beneficiary can influence at least 3 others, creating a multiplying impact that extends beyond the initial activities. This has already been reflected through feedback from parents, especially mothers, who reported noticeable improvements in their children’s behavior, communication, and social interaction at home.

The overall goal of these activities is to create a safe and supportive environment that enhances children’s psychological well-being and educational development, while strengthening their self-confidence, communication skills, teamwork, and emotional expression — ensuring that the impact continues even after the activities end.

We also contribute to strengthening a culture of good deeds and community support, as our volunteers model positive behavior, cooperation, and empathy in front of children, encouraging them to adopt the same values and pass them on to others.

Moreover, we observed strong community engagement and public support for the initiative, reflected in high interaction across social media platforms, coverage by well-known pages and channels, interviews on recognized TV stations, and content shared by influencers. This has significantly amplified our reach and reinforced the ripple effect on a larger scale.

As the initiative progresses, we are clearly beginning to see signs of sustainable impact, not only on the children themselves but also within their homes and neighborhoods. This confirms that we are not only delivering activities, but building a connected cycle of impact, where change starts with one child and continues to grow across families, communities, and beyond.

April 24th Update

During the recent phase, the Basira Initiative successfully completed its core implementation, delivering 15+ activities and directly reaching 190+ displaced children.

The initiative combined psychosocial support, interactive learning, recreational, and drama-based activities, creating a safe environment that enhanced children’s emotional expression, confidence, and social engagement.

A strong focus was placed on family involvement, where more than 20 mothers were supported through targeted sessions, empowering them to better understand and support their children and strengthening communication within households.

The team also provided individualized support for special psychological cases, ensuring inclusive and needs-based interventions. Monitoring results showed clear improvements in children’s behavior, interaction, and emotional well-being, supported by positive feedback from parents.

At the community level, the initiative achieved strong engagement through partnerships and media coverage, while sustainability was ensured through the Basira Workbook and Guide, extending the impact into homes and the wider community.

360

Secondary Impact

(Level 2)

720

Third Impact

(Level 3)

Impact Metrics (Ripple Effect)

120

Direct Beneficiaries

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2026 Competition

Fostering a systematic culture of good deeds across Palestinian universities, empowering student leaders to create measurable community impact through initiatives that inspire exponential ripple effects of kindness and mutual support.

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