The Recreational Day... Our Annual Commitment to Defending Every Child’s Right to Play
August 6, 2023 – Turmus Ayya, Palestine
As part of its ongoing mission to restore dignity, healing, and a sense of safety to vulnerable families, the Palestinian Maintenance Fund (PMF) organized a large-scale recreational day in the town of Turmus Ayya, targeting over 1,200 children—beneficiaries of the Fund’s services—along with their mothers. The event was hosted at the Boys’ School in collaboration with the Municipality of Turmus Ayya, following a brutal settler attack that left the town devastated.
The activity-rich day included artistic, educational, and emotional wellness segments such as face painting, interactive competitions, cultural performances, and family bonding exercises designed to strengthen emotional resilience and social connection. The event brought together children from across Palestine—uniting those impacted by trauma with others navigating similar hardships.
Attendees included Mr. Lafi Adeeb, Mayor of Turmus Ayya, local community leaders and activists, and PMF Director General, Attorney Fatima Al-Mu’aqqit, along with staff from PMF offices across the West Bank.
In his remarks, Mayor Adeeb emphasized the emotional significance of hosting such a day in a town still reeling from recent violence. He praised PMF’s initiative as a meaningful gesture of psychosocial recovery, helping children reconnect with joy and reestablish a sense of community after enduring loss, fear, and displacement at the hands of the occupation and settler violence.
Attorney Fatima Al-Mu’aqqit noted the symbolic power of organizing the event in Turmus Ayya, a town that recently witnessed the destruction of homes, agricultural lands, and the tragic loss of life. She emphasized the Fund’s belief that healing from trauma must be collective, and that joy, safety, and play are not luxuries but essential rights for children affected by conflict and systemic injustice.
Al-Mu’aqqit highlighted that this recreational day is part of PMF’s broader strategy to integrate psychosocial support into its protection programs, reinforcing children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development through safe, inclusive play. She reaffirmed that activities like these are not merely events—but powerful interventions that promote resilience, boost confidence, and rebuild hope.
Mothers participating in the event reflected on how rare and meaningful it was to share quality time with their children in a joyful, stress-free setting.
"We saw sides of our children we had never noticed before. We also learned something about ourselves," one mother shared.
Another added: "I didn’t know how much we both needed this… it was like a breath of life in a time of suffocation."
A young girl summed it up simply but powerfully:
"It felt like a day in paradise."
This event was made possible thanks to the generous support of The National Bank, UNFPA (Hayat Project), the Municipality of Turmus Ayya, and benevolent contributors across Palestine. Their partnership continues to enable PMF to stand with women and children—not just in courts, but in classrooms, playgrounds, and healing spaces.
