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Login"Circle In - Palestine" Project Launched to Empower Palestinian Children Through Sport
Doha, June 17 (QNA) - The "Circle In" initiative, launched by Qatar Foundation (QF), Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, and the International Olympic Committee, has announced the launch of the "Circle In – Palestine" project, which will be implemented by Palestine: Sports for Life over three years, aiming to empower Palestinian children through sport and provide safe and inclusive sport-based educational spaces.
In a statement on Wednesday, QF stated that the project targets, in its first phase, 1,250 children in schools and local communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with a focus on girls, children with disabilities, refugees, and displaced children.
This is through sport and purposeful play activities that contribute to developing life skills and enhancing children's psychosocial wellbeing, with the project expected to expand in later stages to include more Palestinian communities.
It added that the project comes within the framework of the "Circle In" initiative, which aims to build more just, inclusive, and educated societies across Asia and the Middle East and North Africa through sport and values-based education. It noted that the initiative supports sport-for-development projects in 10 countries, in line with the International Olympic Committee's mission to build a better world through sport and contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
It also stated that UNICEF reports indicate that conflicts have significantly limited hundreds of thousands of children's access to education and safe play.
QF explained that the "Circle In – Palestine" project is being implemented in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Education, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and several local community organizations, with the aim of providing sports- and play-based opportunities that support children's mental health, enhance their ability to adapt, and build social connections during crises.
In this context, Executive Director of Women's and Girls' Sports at QF, Alanoud Al Mesnad, said: "Every child deserves – not just needs – the opportunity to learn, play, and thrive, regardless of their circumstances".
Al Mesnad affirmed that sport and play are essential elements for recovery, building resilience, strengthening belonging, and supporting psychosocial wellbeing, especially in times of crisis.
She added that the "Circle In" initiative reflects the shared belief between partners and beneficiary communities in the importance of providing safe and supportive spaces that give children hope, reshape their daily routines, and strengthen trust and communication through sport and play.
Al Mesnad noted that the project brings together children, teachers, families, and community members around the values of inclusion, protection, and shared responsibility for children's wellbeing and future.
She continued that the "Circle In – Palestine" project embodies the transition of the initiative from vision to tangible impact and a long-term commitment to children, teachers, and communities, by working with Palestinian children, teachers, trainers, and their communities as active partners in designing opportunities and activities that achieve the greatest possible impact, in recognition of their resilience under difficult circumstances.
In addition, Al Mesnad emphasized that investing in children and youth is at the core of QF's vision, affirming that the project reflects the institution's commitment and that of its partners to translating this vision into tangible social impact that affects an entire generation.
For her part, Executive Director of Palestine Sports for Life, Tamara Awartani, said: "This project provides far more than sports, as it offers opportunities for learning, recovery, inclusion, and hope, and helps children strengthen their mental health, build resilience, and feel a sense of belonging within safe and inclusive environments".
She added that the project also invests in building the capacities of teachers and trainers in the fields of sport for development, psychosocial support, mental health, child protection, inclusion, and gender equality, contributing to sustainable and long-term impact in Palestinian communities.
Meanwhile, the sport activities under the "Circle In – Palestine" project began in mid-June, where the project has so far trained 15 teachers and community trainers in the West Bank and 10 in the Gaza Strip with the necessary skills to implement sport programs that enhance inclusion and provide psychosocial support for 1,250 children from 25 schools in the first phase of the project.
The "Circle In" initiative targets up to 50,000 children and young people, in addition to training around 5,000 coaches, teachers, and educators to promote equality, inclusion, and education through sport, as well as expanding the initiative through digital resources that help communities develop locally designed sport-based solutions to address social challenges. (QNA)
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