“We are very excited about the launch of our football team,” Ahmad al-Laham, the head of the board of directors of the Youth Stars Center, said. “It is part of a more comprehensive program that aims at providing badly needed services in this marginalized region in Gaza,” he added.
Al-Laham also said that future projects will include sports events for women in addition to expanding the existing anti-illiteracy programs.
“This is a humble effort, as most of the small amounts of money allocated for the project are donated by editors at The Palestine Chronicle,” Palestine Chronicle editor Ramzy Baroud said, adding “but we are determined to make it a success.”
“The trauma created by the latest Israeli war on Gaza and by previous wars, let alone the hermetic siege, left Gaza’s children with collective anxiety, fear, and at times, hopelessness. Sports initiatives like this can challenge that feeling of despair and give children the initiative and the hope so that they may fight back,” Baroud added.
The team’s jerseys, which carry the logos of the Youth Stars Center and The Palestine Chronicle, were the first installment of other contributions to follow. The Palestine Chronicle invites its readers to be part of this project, and to also help the Youth Stars Center in their many other critical initiatives, including their educational programs, which aim at fighting illiteracy in the Qizan Abu Rashwan and surrounding areas.
“Women particularly, whose role is absolutely essential in Palestinian society, must be given access to basic education, so that they can fully satisfy their crucial mission in life, especially during these difficult times,” said Ghada Dabor, who heads the ‘women unit’ in the center.
To learn more about the work of the Youth Stars Center, click here or contact The Palestine Chronicle for more information: info@palestinechronicle.com.
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