Friends of Sumud School

Sumud School was founded by my friend Enaam in a tent camp in Deir El-Balah, Gaza in December 2024. She asked me to raise funds for tents and tarps so the children wouldn’t have to sit on the wet sand! She and her family had been displaced from her home in Gaza City in November, 2023, where she was a teacher. When her beloved son, Jehad, died due to lack of medical care, she founded the school in his honor.

During the January ceasefire, the family returned to Gaza City and within three days they had found an intact building, made a sign and registered students and began the term. The school became a lifeline for the children, the parents, the teachers and the whole community. An inspector came from the Ministry of Education and certified the school with flying colors! There were 350 students attending in shifts and 15 teachers. 650,000 children have been denied education in Gaza for two years. Sumud School is a miraculous beacon in the darkness of Gaza.

Standards were high. The school taught academic subjects as well as art and important survival skills like dental care (without dentists) and also gave trauma therapy. The children all did well in their final exams.

In the beginning of September 2025, new teachers were hired and trained and over 400 students were evaluated and registered. With the generous donations from our Massachusetts community, Enaam was able to purchase desks and seats for the children. Despite threats from the occupation forces, they decided to stay in Gaza City. However, beginning around September 10, the bombing around the school increased to an unbearable level and on Friday, a high-rise building right next to the school was bombed to the ground. The children were sent home and Enaam made the difficult decision to leave. She found a truck and packed up the whole school. She is currently looking for a building where the school can resume the term in Deir el-Balah.  Enaam has performed miracles in the past and she will keep the school going no matter what happens. Please donate to help them survive!