The children who walk through the doors of the School of Peace are not typical students.
They are children who fled war in Gaza. Since the conflict escalated in 2023, more than a million people have been displaced from their homes. Families have crossed borders in search of safety. Many have lost homes, schools, extended family networks, and any sense of normal routine. Entire neighborhoods were emptied. Infrastructure collapsed. Education systems were disrupted almost overnight.
For children, the disruption has been especially devastating.
According to international relief agencies, hundreds of thousands of school-aged children in Gaza have experienced prolonged interruptions in education. Many have gone two years or more without consistent schooling. Beyond academics, they have lived through repeated displacement, instability, and exposure to violence. For young minds still forming, that kind of prolonged stress leaves deep marks. When some of these families reached a secured compound in a border region of the Middle East, they were physically safer. But safety alone does not restore childhood.
Inside crowded apartment buildings, children lived in uncertainty. There were no structured school days. No playgrounds. No dependable meals. No rhythm to anchor their days.
For two full years, many of these children did not sit at a desk.
They did not raise their hands in a classroom.
They did not run onto a playground.
They did not know if there would be food tomorrow.
They only knew instability.
And then something began to change. Our partner, Ambassadors by the Nile (ABN), saw the need, and worked to meet it. For nearly eight months, ABN applied for permission to open a school. In this region, approvals are slow and complex. The area itself is tightly controlled, a demilitarized zone near an active border. Access is limited. Oversight is constant. But then, unexpectedly, permission was granted.
The government provided four apartments that could be transformed into classrooms. Desks were purchased. Supplies were gathered. Teachers were trained. What began as a possibility quickly became reality.
The School of Peace was born.
The school opened quietly at first, a soft launch, a cautious beginning. Today, 140 refugee children attend daily. The current capacity is 200, with hundreds on the waiting list. When border crossings recently reopened for wounded and displaced families, a new wave of refugees arrived. Already, 75 additional families have entered the compound. Many of them have children. The need is expanding in real time.
But so is the response.
For seven hours each day, children step into what one team member described as “a safe bubble in the chaos.” They are fed breakfast. They are fed lunch. They learn using a recognized regional curriculum so their education counts toward their future. They are supervised by trained teachers who understand child safety and trauma.
For the first time in years, they have a routine. Structure. Protection.
Plans are underway to build a playground with artificial turf and a proper football field. For many of these children, it will be the first real place to run and play since the conflict began. Childhood is slowly being restored. But, the school does not stop at the classroom door.
A holistic approach is essential. Currently, 50 refugee families connected to the school receive monthly food packages. Each package includes staples such as rice, oil, flour, pasta, protein, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items, enough to sustain a family of four for a month.
Because when children leave school, they return to families who are still navigating what it means to rebuild life in a new place. Many parents are unable to work while waiting on documentation and legal approvals, with no clear timeline for employment. These layers of uncertainty are part of the daily reality many refugee families face.
You now have the opportunity to be part of this life-changing school.
There are also plans to install a kitchen on-site. Cooking in bulk would reduce costs and allow parents in the compound to volunteer and contribute. It would create dignity and shared responsibility, not dependency. The vision is not short-term relief, it is generational.
Give a safe, secure, and tax-deductible donation at: Ambassadors by the Nile
The School of Peace provides Gaza refugee children with education, daily meals and a safe space to heal, helping restore
The School of Peace provides Gaza refugee children with education, daily meals and a safe space to heal, helping restore
The School of Peace provides Gaza refugee children with education, daily meals and a safe space to heal, helping restore
