"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it". Helen Keller
I was prompted to write this blog after seeing some remarkable photographs that were taken by a member of our regional team Pablo Teves. who was recently visiting Gaza to support the World Vision team there. The photographs show youth in Gaza performing 'parkour', which is the aerial activity originating from urban youth in France. Parkour or freerunning, is the activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment,negotiating obstacles by running, jumping and climbing.
To see these youth performing parkour amidst the absolute destruction from the recent war says something profound to me about the resilience of the human spirit, and it's ability to find expression and hope, even in the midst of overwhelming adversity.
The recent war in Gaza lasted for 7 weeks, and resulted in widespread destruction. The statistics tell enough of the story:
- more than 2000 Palestinians killed,over 500 of them children
- more than 60 Israeli soldiers killed, and 7 Israeli civilians killed
- more than 10,000 Palestinians injured,of whom nearly 3000 are children
- 460,000 people (more than 25% of the Gaza population) are currently seeking shelter,the majority of whom are hosted in schools designated as emergency shelters
- More than 16,500 homes in Gaza damaged or destroyed, leaving more than 100,000 homeless
- Approximately 370,000 children require direct or specialised psychosocial care
It is estimated that it will take more than 20 years to reconstruct the damage caused by the recent conflict in Gaza. World Vision has worked in Gaza for many years, and as a result of the recent conflict has further expanded activities.
Click here to read more about World Vision's ongoing work in Gaza, in particular following the recent conflict.
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