Palestine is a land of the three monotheistic faiths. This intersection of faiths has contributed to the nation’s rich and sometimes turbulent history. During much of the twentieth century, and now in the twenty-first, this region of the world has been embroiled in what’s known as the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, a struggle over which state gets control of what land, and how the land is controlled. Two wars, in particular, started what has become a catastrophic refugee situation for Arabs living in Palestine. The 1948 War and the Six-Day-War of 1967. During both, Israel defeated Palestinian militia and took control over more of Palestine’s land. Those two wars combined created 1.5 million Palestinian refugees. There are 7 million Palestinian refugees today. Clowns Without Borders toured refugee camps. It also included building and reconstruction work, protective presence activity, guided walks, home-stays, interactive workshops, performances, educational talks and cultural events.
Additional Facts
- Approximately three-quarters of the Palestinian people are refugees or internally displaced persons and one in three refugees worldwide is Palestinian.
- 70% of Gaza’s children are refugees (588,000 out of 840,000 children). Gaza also houses the largest camp population– comprising more than one-third of all registered refugees residing in camps.
- UNRWA provides free schooling for Palestinian refugee children from grade 1 through 9 and o ers limited secondary education to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon (they are denied access to Lebanese public schools while private schools are financially out of reach for most).
- 83% of UNRWA elementary schools and 62% of UNRWA preparatory schools are operated in double shifts as
a result of overcrowding and a lack of resources. is ranges from 93% in Jordan to 27% in the West Bank.
- It is estimated that roughly 100,000 children or 20% of children in UNRWA’s schools may have special needs and are not receiving necessary help.
Naming Conventions
Clowns Without Borders International has been a consultative partner of UNESCO since 2015. As such, CWB-USA follows the U.N. naming conventions. This is especially noticeable in reference to Myanmar, Palestine, and South Sudan.
