A Dot, and a New Mindset: An Initiative for Child Protection and Community Awareness
The Access for All network launched the initiative A Dot, and a New Mindset at the Al-Yarmouk displacement camp in Gaza City from August 26 to September 2, 2025. The initiative responded to urgent needs within the displacement context, where risks of exploitation and abuse against children and adolescents—particularly those with disabilities—have been escalating.
This initiative falls under the broader project “Access for All: Enhancing the Autonomy and Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Gaza Strip,” implemented by the Social Developmental Forum in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians – MAP.
The initiative worked to build protective awareness among children and their parents through a series of interactive and accessible activities that combined awareness-raising, entertainment, and behavioral empowerment.
Innovative Awareness Activities: From Training to Puppet Theater
The initiative’s team launched a series of activities beginning with a specialized training workshop on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) concepts. The session, implemented by the SDF in coordination with the Sanad Network, targeted 12 young men and women from the A4A network, preparing them to lead and guide the initiative’s activities within the camp.
The initiative then moved to the Al-Yarmouk camp, where awareness-raising puppet theater performances were held from August 28 to 30. These shows presented protection concepts through simple storytelling, engaging 65 children both with and without disabilities. This interactive approach successfully broke down barriers of fear, enabling children to absorb and express their understanding of the awareness messages in a spontaneous and engaging manner.
A Special Session for Parents and a Safe Space for Speech
On September 2, a dedicated awareness session was held for parents and caregivers inside the camp, attended by 50 participants. The session focused on how to recognize warning signs of danger, provide appropriate psychological support to children, and understand reporting mechanisms in case of exposure to any form of abuse.
The session featured a notable activity titled “Who Can Help Me?”, which provided a safe, empathetic, and collaborative space for families to share their experiences and questions. This significantly reinforced a shared sense of responsibility for protecting children within the camp.
Broad Community Outreach
The initiative concluded with an extensive community awareness campaign, distributing 400 informational brochures to displaced individuals around the Al-Yarmouk stadium area. The brochures contained simplified symbols to facilitate understanding of how to seek help and request protection, ensuring the message reaches even those who face difficulties with reading or comprehension.
A Notable Human Impact: From Silence to Expression
The initiative’s outcomes extended beyond numbers, revealing a profound impact on the children’s behavior and ability to express their feelings.
Among the moving stories was that of a girl with a physical disability who had previously refused to participate in any activities and experienced frequent anger episodes—before she surprised everyone by engaging positively after the puppet theater show. As her mother noted, “The initiative was a turning point, my daughter has become calmer and more communicative.”
Parents also expressed how significantly they benefited from the awareness sessions, confirming that the initiative equipped them with practical tools to better understand their children’s behaviors and protect them from potential threats.
Positive Engagement and a Remarkable Experience
Attendees expressed their appreciation for the activities, with their feedback clearly reflecting the initiative’s impact. One participating mother shared, “The workshop was excellent; I now know how to protect my children,” while another woman at the session noted, “This was vital information. I needed to learn the reporting mechanisms and how to be a source of support for my son.”
Haneen Al-Kafarneh, a member of the initiative’s team, stated, “It was an attempt to curb any irresponsible behaviors faced by people with and without disabilities. Implementing the initiative and receiving positive feedback from the children and parents was one of the best moments of my life.”
Yousef Al-Ghalayini, one of the initiative’s facilitators, added, “Through the A Dot, and a New Mindset initiative, we were able to be part of a simple yet profoundly impactful change.” He continued, “We worked to spread awareness among children with and without disabilities about their rights and succeeded in creating a safe space that enabled them to understand their bodies and express themselves without fear. It was an inspiring experience through which we realized the power of awareness to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
In this way, the A Dot, and a New Mindset initiative served as a practical model for protection mechanisms built on community awareness and behavioral empowerment, affirming that awareness is the beginning of protection, and that building safety starts with a word, an idea, or a simple puppet show capable of opening a door to understanding and dignity.
Initiatives by Access for All
The A4A network has launched a series of initiatives being implemented over several months across all governorates of the Gaza Strip. The work is concentrated in shelters and displacement camps and targets diverse groups, with a primary focus on people with disabilities.
These initiatives address several areas, including cultural, social, awareness-raising, and psychological aspects. They seek to enhance community awareness of the rights of people with disabilities, affirm societal solidarity, and empower the effective participation of youth. The participating youth received intensive prior training and presented their initiative proposals before a selection committee chose the final projects to be implemented.