Lev HaNegev - A Better Childhood experience on the Gaza Border

Lev HaNegev: A Better Childhood experience on the Gaza Border, We, a group of dedicated moms, all of us educators, dreamed of a unique school experience for our children on the border with Gaza. With that dream we formed a team working toward establishment of Lev HaNegev (“The Heart of the Negev”) Forest School, to be located in the Eshkol Regional Council. A happy childhood is a universal human right. But for years children living along the Gaza border have dealt with adult realities resulting from ongoing violence with Hamas, sirens and explosions. Fears of renewed escalations, hurried evacuations and the sounds of war are daily challenges for many of our children. Our answer for this is the Lev HaNegev. We believe that the healing powers of nature and open hearts will uplift children in our region. Lev HaNegev will be a dialogic forest school, focused on the emotional wellbeing of its students. It will be a safe space where boys and girls can explore their own empowerment and capacity-building. These will allow our students to cultivate their creativity and build the confidence and joy they deserve. An observation by Dan Lasry, a pioneer in dialogic education, informs our vision: “Children are not simply adults who have yet to mature, and a child’s life is not just a passageway to adulthood. They live in the present, and we need to make their lives better here and now. Each child’s life is precious and deserves respect in its own right.” Our planned Opening Day is just around the corner, September 1, 2022! We need your help to make this happen. Our crowdfunding campaign (#education_that_sees_us) will enable parents from our region to provide their kids with this extraordinary education. We are confident that bringing Lev HaNegev to life will then inspire others to envision additional educational projects in the western Negev.