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The volunteers stayed on in the afternoons and organised English classes for some of the older boys.
Although the boys knew very little at the start, they progressed well and were keen to repeat phrases they had learned.
Weekly trips to the swimming pool were a great favourite and some of the children learnt to swim during
the summer. Unipal was able to buy wet suits for some of the younger children who shivered in the cold water.
A day trip to a fun park, Bananaland, in Jericho was a great success as was the visit to Jerusalem zoo,
which the children found really exciting.
The final party was great fun. All the children were given little goody bags that the volunteers had
filled with sweets, marbles, stickers and small toys. Musical chairs, musical statues and, everyone’s favourite, pass the parcel entertained the children for hours.
Despite the language barrier with such young children, everyone had great fun and enjoyed themselves.
The boys at Jeel, despite their disadvantages, care for each other, looking out for the little ones and respecting the older boys.
Mehreen comments, ‘Jeel al-Amal was a fantastic place to be volunteer. The children are such a delight,
so polite, and the staff are hard-working and dedicated to the children.’
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