LETTER: Local Support Group raises £80,000+ in the past 11 years for traumatised children and their families in Gaza

      

Dear Editor,

Brent Friends of Palestine (BFoP) was set up as a campaigning group for the rights of Palestinians in 2015 by a small group of like-minded people living in Brent. The group was very keen to support a project that worked with children in Gaza or the West Bank. They heard about the Palestine Trauma Centre (PTC UK) which was based in Nuseirat Refugee Camp south of Gaza City. It was founded by Mohamed Altawil who was born and grew up in Nuseirat and escaped via Egypt to begin studying for a PhD in the UK. With David Harrold, a university colleague, he set up the PTC UK. It has a team of workers in Gaza including family therapists, playworkers, sports trainers and clowns. The team seeks to meet the needs of children and young people traumatised by their experience of living continually under siege. Brent Friends of Palestine fundraises to support in particular the PTC UK Days of Joy project which provides fun and sports activities in a range of locations in Gaza on a very regular basis.

Although the outbreak of the Gaza-Israel war in October 2023 limited activities the PTC UK team has continued its Days of Joy activities but on a much smaller scale. It has also provided hundreds of food parcels to families and even tents, and the team has continued to be paid by money sent from the UK. Since the October 2025 ceasefire, the work of the Days of Joy team has expanded and more children, young people and their families are benefiting from this.

Brent Friends of Palestine, over the past 11 years, has held several fundraising events for the Palestine Trauma Centre UK. These include standup comedy, concerts, campaign meetings, street collections, the sale of original Christmas cards, and they have initiated many regular monthly contributions from supporters. Our last fund- raising event, a Jazz Evening, brought the total raised for the PTC UK by BFoP to over £80,000, an amount that the organisation is very proud of.

Your support for the Palestine Trauma Centre UK and Brent Friends of Palestine is very welcome. BFoP have a public meeting on Thursday November 19th with Richard Kuper speaking from Jews for Justice for Palestinians which could interest you.

For more details email: brentfop@gmail.com 

 

PTC UK website: www. palestinetraumacentre.uk