Médecins du monde resumes its activities in 6 schools of Nablus

Médecins du Monde-France (MdM) resumed its activities for children ages (6-12) as the second semester of the school year starts in Nablus governorate, in partnership with the Ministry of Education through the School counseling department of the Directorate of Education-South Nablus.The organization said in a press statement on Monday that the beneficiaries of the program are children living in poor and isolated villages and frequently exposed to violence from settlers and Israeli Security Forces, and the children who need an open, safe and confidential space to express their feelings.According to the statement, Nablus governorate is the governorate most affected by settler's related violence in the West Bank. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that there are 119 incidents occurred in Nablus in 2013: 59 Palestinians, including 17 children, have been injured in such incidents. Incidents also happened in schools.MdM psychologists and social workers regularly meet children with psychological symptoms and social problems such as insecurity feelings, hypervigilance, bedwetting, attention deficit hyperactivity, anxiety, and low level of academic achievement or social withdrawal.During the first semester of the school year 2013-2014, 3,200 children in 15 different schools benefitted from MdM psychosocial activities.Shaheera, MdM social worker conducting sessions with the children, explained that, "Through drawing, role playing, music and traditional games, we work with the children on social interaction, communication skills, conflict resolution and self-esteem. Our aim is for them to reach psychological balance."