In partnership with our strategic partner, Medial Aid For Palestinians (MAP), the SDF launched “Access for all,” a significant effort to enhance the Independence and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Gaza Strip. The one-year project will promote and advocate for the rights and well-being of People with disabilities in the northern, middle, and […]
In partnership with the World Central Kitchen, SDF distributes 1,500 food parcels in north Gaza
The Social Developmental Forum (SDF), in collaboration with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), distributed 1,500 food parcels to displaced returners in north Gaza, who have endured a hard journey walking on foot for hours, carrying their belongings, and heading back to their homes. The parcels included vegetables, fruits, and food supplies. For instance, each parcel […]
Safe Return: youth led effort to support displaced returners
The Social Developmental Forum (SDF), led by its genuine youth network, implemented a week-long intervention, “Safe Return,” to support displaced families returning from the South of the Gaza Strip to their homes in the north. SDF’s staff members and youth network were distributed into three geographical segments; Al Newari hill in Al-Nusairat camp, the 17th […]
Sondos Al-Fayumi: Teaching mitigates the void of displacement
Last August, I joined the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) as a teacher. I have been displaced from Gaza City, and I currently live in Deir Al-Balah. Since leaving Gaza in November, I have been overwhelmed by a sense of alienation; despite this estrangement of having to live in a place where I don’t belong, I […]
Longing for School vs. Learning in a Tent; Ghazal Al-Sultan, a story of hope and resilience
Thirteen-year-old Ghazal Al-Sultan lives in a tent-like all Internally Displaced People in the Gaza Strip. Her life mirrors the monotonous and exhausting routine of displacement until she finally joined a Safe Learning Space, established by the Social Developmental Forum in the “Together For Palestine 3” camp in Deir Al-Balah. Ghazal was a seventh-grade student before […]
Crafting hope under fire, story of Karima Afana
Standing a few meters away from the children’s courtyard at Abdul Rahman bin ‘Awf School in Gaza City, Karima stares at the youngsters as they play alongside her fellow volunteers. A single word flutters in her heart: hope—the very hope and belief that filled the hearts of her young peers at the “Together For Hope”. […]
“Facilitating a learning atmosphere; over 1,000 Children receive school bags and supplies in southern and middle Gaza
Recently, “Together Towards Hope” youth network members, alongside the SDF’s team distributed over 1,000 school bags and stationery to students in Safe Learning Spaces across the middle area of the Gaza Strip. This intervention aims to support children’s engagement in the learning process. The distribution targeted SLSs in the “Return Camp” at the Palestinian Red […]
Aya Abu Jahal: Addressing loss through supporting others
From being surrounded by family and friends and actively engaged in community service to enduring the pain of displacement and loss. Aya’s story is this of all Palestinians who have been struggling over a year of genocide in Gaza. Yet, her voice, persistence, and pursuit amid the hardships, are remarkable! Recently, 22-year-old Aya finished her […]
Khaled Hamdan: A young volunteer of water distribution initiative in Northern Gaza
Since the onset of the war, northern Gaza has endured uniquely challenging harsh conditions, surpassing the struggles faced by other governorates. The severe water shortage has become a fundamental struggle for those who couldn’t or didn’t forcibly leave to the South. Khaled Hamdan, a member of the Social Developmental Forum’s Youth Network, used to be […]
Amid the skyrocketing prices and lack of resources; food parcels mitigate her burden, the story of Hadeel Al-Bardawil:
Her husband was killed by the IOF, leaving her alone with her children. She had to evacuate several times; from a school to a destroyed home, surviving through the support and aid from other families. This is the headline of the story of 38-year-old Hadeel Al-Bardawil, who was displaced from Jabalya in northern Gaza to […]