The children and youth program

‫مؤسسة الطفال و الشبيبة الفلسطينية‬

PCYI
Palestinian Child and Youth Institute,
In
Naher Al Bared and Baddawi camps

PCYI was established in 1978 as a non-political and non-religious Community

Based Organization in Nahr el Barred and Baddawi Palestinian camps, north
Lebanon, aiming to provide services and protecting the rights for Palestinian children
and youth living in these two communities focusing on following key-areas:
 Advocating, monitoring and responding to abuse of children rights and
safety through direct interventions with children and their duty-bearers within
the family as well as within the community.
 Advocating, monitoring and responding to children’s physical and emotional
well-being in all their main activity-areas e.g. home, school, leisure and
general physical environments (streets etc) in a refugee camps.
 Empowering children with support and opportunities of a safe childhood
for the purpose of enabling them to become happy, healthy and productive
adults.
 Sport and cultural program :( folklore dance- singing –poet-painting) to
provide the children and adults with new skills.
 Educational program: which purpose to help them in getting a quality
education.
PCYI’s Steering Committee is elected every 2nd year, and includes a PCYI
Coordinator, an Assistant Coordinator, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Advocacy and
Public Relations Coordinator and a 2 Coordinators who are in charge of monitoring
activities implemented by PCYI and supervising 10 volunteers in Baddawi (5 girls
and 5 boys), and 11 volunteers in Nahr El-Barred (4girls and 7 boys).
Donor support: locally from member fund-raising within Palestinian and Lebanese
communities and internationally from sources as AJPF (Association pour la
Promotion des Jumelages entre les villes Françaises et les camps des réfugiés
palestiniens), Palestinian-Canadian Solidarity Committee, Kuwait Charity
Organisation and Arab Cultural Club in Belgium, Save the Children –Sweden, HI
(international handicap).
The implemented projects during and after NBC crisis:
• Recreational and fun project funded by UNRWA in baddawi and bared camps,
for one month 2008.(500 children)
• Recreational and psychosocial project funded by HI in both camps for 2
months 2007. (1000 children)
Current project of PCYI is implemented a psychosocial project in Baddawi and
Nahr El-Barred camps, supported by SCS (save the children –Sweden) and funding
from ECHO, (650 children).
Although at the later was interrupted when the war erupted May 20th 2007.
PCYI has activity-centres in both Nahr El-Barred and Baddawi camps.
Every summer (when the security situation allows – the last one was in PCYI's centre
in NBC), a youth summer camp is held with almost 100 participant children and
youth from all Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and hosted by camps in
neighbouring countries. These summer-camps provide the children & youth with the
opportunity of enjoying recreational and rights-empowering skills during three weeks
while at the same time making new friends. A focus is also put on children gaining
communication skills and critical thinking skills to broaden their perception of social
participation in life.

Palestinian Child and Youth Institute (PCYI) is a member of following networks:

1. Child Protection Network (local) that includes 18 associations launched on May
22nd 2007 as an emergency response to the crisis situation in Nahr el Barred and
Beddawi camps.
2. Right of Return Committee (local) in Baddawi that includes a network of 21
associations (youth, educational, scout, women, children, social, students and
cultural), established in 2005. This kind of network had never before existed.
3. Palestinian Youth Network (national) is a network that includes 7 Palestinian camps
in Lebanon.
4. National Network for Public Libraries (regional) launched by Assabil Association
5. International network with AJPF (Association pour la Promotion du Jumelage des
villes françaises avec les camps des réfugiés palestiniens). A twinning-project where
children from Baddawi and Nahr El-Bared camps were invited twice to France by
AJPF for cultural exchange with European children and youth as well as having the
opportunity of meeting other Palestinian children coming from the OPT (Occupied
Palestinian Territories).
6. International network with Italian sport organizations. Children from Baddawi
camp participated in sport events in Milan, Italy, together with Italian children and
children from other Arab countries.
7. A member in the CBRA from 1992. (in the first committee) and implementing a lot
of activities with the disabled persons cooperating with CBRA in K.Gs.

PCYI has also regularly participated with activities organized by Arab Resources
Centre (ARC), Beirut – Lebanon, and shared with many activities and workshops
were organized by WORLD VISION , MPDL(movimiento por la paz), HI( handicap
international), AFAKONA and RTPI (right to play international) ,and working with
UNRWA last summer in schools through a various activities (psychosocial, sport ,
creative activities) and were fund by an ECHO emergency projects by HI( November
& December 2007) and SCS ( January – February - & march 2008) in Baddawi &
Naher El Bared camps during NBC crises.
Some members of PCYI were also working as a coordinator and volunteers in
the emergency-team of Save the Children, spear-heading the development of
the Child Protection programme through the CPN and other specific child
protection activities as monitoring, identifying vulnerable children and
meeting their needs and Rights as much as possible.

PCYI is implementing now in Baddawi and Naher Albared camps a psychosocial

emergency project: funded by ECHO by SCS (save the children – Sweden):
• Psychosocial program (awareness raising – children rights and protection- and
activities.)
• Education program (remedial classes for students from 6 to 15 years old).
• Creative & recreational activity program.
• Leisure, play &fun activities.
• Sport activities.
• Monitoring child's abuses (violence against children in schools and homes).