Urgent-intervention-program
The city has turned into a place of ghosts, the residents are under house arrest, the sound of bullets and bombs on the ground, the buzz of suicide drones in the sky and the cries for help are getting louder in the place.” Aya from Tulkarem- West Bank
For 13 years, LOGICA Centre has been directly involved in the education, well-being and empowerment of thousands of children and women. We could create lasting change. However, today we are confronted with widespread destruction in all aspects of life, where survival is the primary goal. We are witnessing the deterioration of the psychological and mental state of thousands of people with whom we have worked for years. We are seeing the destruction of small local projects supported and launched by LOGICA, and were maintained by families and women.
How we are supporting through our Urgent Intervention Programme:
- Provide basic survival needs/sustenance for families
The situation is exacerbated by ongoing violence and lack of basic necessities such as food, clean water and medical care. As a result, children today face greater risks and difficulties than ever before. Thousands of them are not only experiencing the loss of close friends and family, but also sudden poverty and displacement. In addition, military curfews mean that children spend long days and weeks indoors, isolated from friends and family, unable to process and escape what is happening around them. We provide milk, water, bread, clothes, blankets, disinfectants and small amounts of cash to help these families survive.
- Ensuring the continuity of local food projects and women's enterprises
The LOGICA Centre is a focal point for more than 400 entrepreneurs across the Northern West Bank, who, over the past 12 years, have focused on building smart greenhouses and developing food production. These businesses have become agents for their communities and families during curfews and the economic collapse, promoting a sufficient economy while allowing them to grow vegetables and exchange the harvest for other goods in their local community.
Not only is there a lack of necessities, but enterprises are threatened by repeated settler attacks on villages, military closures and checkpoints, high prices and high unemployment, as well as the destruction of infrastructure and roads linking villages and towns, further restricting access to vital resources. Since October 2023, our team has been doing everything possible to support these projects, ensuring they can continue to provide food and income for their families and communities. We have supported these projects by providing essential materials, financial support, networking opportunities, and professional advice. These projects are vital for ensuring the well-being of thousands of people and contributing to social and economic recovery in the aftermath.
- Therapy session for children and women
A Save the Children survey found that 95% of Palestinian children suffer from mental health problems, including depression, trauma and emotional distress. Many children show symptoms consistent with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), including emotional dysregulation, difficulties in forming relationships, negative self-perception, hyper-vigilance and avoidance behaviours. Those without access to psychological and mental health support are simply denied a proper childhood and have little or no hope for the future.
Since LOGICA’s foundation, we have worked with over 10,000 children across the West Bank, empowering them in various ways. We have established well-trained focal groups in four major cities involving teachers, school principals, entrepreneurs, nurses, doctors and counsellors.
In response to the current ongoing crisis, LOGICA has reformed these focal groups and adapted its usual objectives and techniques. We have formed a team of over 20 local coordinators to serve the neighbourhoods most affected by the crisis. Despite the high risk, our coordinators run sessions aimed at reducing the effects of collective trauma. These sessions provide children with safe spaces where they can rest, play, express their opinions, learn and gain skills, as well as receive psychological therapy. Currently, we are working with 24 different groups, half of which are from the worst-affected areas (Tulkarem, Jenin and Nablus), and the other half are refugees who have been displaced. We run these sessions every week, with our teams travelling to the children to ensure their safety, rather than having them come to us.
Where next? Our emergency work saves lives. Our next mission is to rebuild lives.
The emergency aid we provide today is a lifeline. The urgent need for healing, unity, and economic survival has prompted us to respond to the humanitarian crisis. That's why we are actively transforming our emergency interventions into a comprehensive Healing and Support Collective in the Northern West Bank: a flexible, transformative community hub located within several local schools to provide support to those in desperate need.
At the heart of this initiative are the Tulkarem Yurts, a safe, creative and dedicated space that we are currently preparing to address the profound collective trauma of war and provide support to those in severe distress. (read more)