Help Gaza’s children learn, heal, and hope.
I’m pleased to share information about an important project conceived and led by Ruwaida Amer, a teacher and journalist in Gaza. Below is a description of The Gaza Education Tent in her words.
If you’re interested in supporting this project in any way, please leave a message here or email me at markashwill[AT]hotmail.com. In the meantime, stay tuned for crowdfunding information.
Please contact me for more information and an introduction to Ruwaida.
THE CRISIS
After years of blockade, a global pandemic, and a devastating war, Gaza’s children have lost more than two years of education. Schools and universities have been destroyed. Books are gone. Teachers are deceased or displaced.
Today, many children ages 6-11 cannot read or write.
Beyond lost learning, children are suffering from:
- Severe anxiety and trauma
- Aggression, fear, and withdrawal
- A loss of hope for the future
Children are no longer just children—they are struggling to survive.
THE SOLUTION: THE GAZA EDUCATION TENT
The Gaza Education Tent is a grassroots initiative founded by Ruwaida Kamal Amer, an experienced biology teacher and child-focused educator who miraculously survived the war.
This tent will be a safe learning and healing space for children who have lost everything.
Our Two Core Goals
📘 Fight Illiteracy
- Arabic reading & writing (foundation)
- Expansion to English, Math, and Science
🎨 Heal Trauma
- Psycho-social support
- Art, play, group activities & therapy
- Safe, nurturing adult guidance
WHAT WE NEED
Currently, the initial cost will be $10,000 (USD) because the education tent needs a bathroom and another annex for equipment, supplies, and stationery.
- A weather-safe tent (nylon & wood)
- Books, paper, pencils, art & learning materials
- Rugs and floor tables for sandy ground
- Salaries for 3 teachers & 2 assistants
- Daily meals and winter clothing for children
- Rent the place every month.
Every month we will need $5000 to cover the salaries and the learning materials with meals for the children.
Everything in Gaza is scarce and costly—but education cannot wait and a caravan will be built in the Al-Fakhari area, east of Khan Younis, which lies within the yellow line and is completely destroyed. Therefore, developing this project is crucial to saving the children in that area, and this depends on continuous funding, which is what I hope for.
WHY THIS MATTERS
“Education is the last hope Gaza’s children have. Teaching is not just a job—it is a calling.
And there has never been a more important time to answer it.”
— Ruwaida Kamal Amer
Despite displacement, loss, and destruction, Ruwaida’s commitment remains unbroken. This project is about rebuilding minds, restoring dignity, and giving children a future beyond survival.
My story with this project
Since graduating from Al-Aqsa University with a degree in biology, I’ve been looking for work. I decided to start my own business by giving lessons from my home. I would spend about 12 consecutive hours teaching students of all grade levels and all subjects. After two years, I got tired of working alone and thought about having my own educational project.
At that time, I was in contact with a team of girls, each with her own project. They all managed to launch their projects, ranging from energy and embroidery to art. I was also working with the entrepreneurship mentor, Dr. Yasser Al-Alam, and at the same time, I worked with many well-known educational centers in Gaza, such as the Culture and Free Thought Association, Al-Nayzak Foundation, Abdul Mohsen Qattan Foundation, and other educational projects. Then, I started working as a science teacher at the Rosary Sisters School in 2019 until the war began. I also worked at a center in Rafah, with support from a foreign organization, on an educational project that supports children from 2020 until now.
I focused on children’s education. It mattered to me that children understood that they had a positive relationship with their teacher and that the classroom environment was a safe place for them. That’s why I was always a friend and a mother to everyone. Caring for a child’s education is one of their most important rights because children in Gaza have no other options in life besides education. They study, keep up with their lessons, and care about them, but they must love it. This war was difficult; it deprived them of that right and placed responsibilities in their lives that were beyond their years and heavier than their capabilities. I never forgot my educational project for a moment, even after the martyrdom of the mentor who was working with me, and now is the time to realize it.
Ruwaida Kamal Amer miraculously survived the Gazan war, moving from bombed out home to bombed out house to soggy tent. She is, by training, a highly enthusiastic Biology Teacher specialized in managing students and maximizing learning opportunities in diverse classroom settings. Dedicated to continuous professional development communication and providing relevant course materials for active and effective learning. Although Gaza’s educational structures have been destroyed, Ruwaida’s spirit remains
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