When we think about the lives of children in Palestine we don’t usually think of fun. We think of soldiers, settlers, checkpoints, military attacks, arrests, and home demolitions. But in the midst of these constant threats, children in Palestine, like children everywhere, look forward to a break from school, and to enjoying outings and special activities.

Over the summer, MECA’s partner organizations gave more than 2,000 kids in ten locations throughout East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip the chance to make art, learn traditional dance and embroidery, go on field trips, make up stories, play sports, and just be children. Girls in Gaza get to ride bikes and play soccer for the first time. Children in East Jerusalem get away from violent settlers who attack them when they go outside to play, from the traumatizing sight of home demolitions, and from the police who routinely detain and arrest young people.

As Israeli violence in Jenin continues and a thousand families in the southern West Bank village of Masafer Yatta face expulsion, summer camp gives children a sense of safety and joy. And while illegal settlements steal Palestinian water for large, luxurious swimming pools for Israeli children, swimming is a very special treat for Palestinian children. For some kids, these camps are their only chance to swim during the long, hot summer.